This lesson really hit close to home. And I don't mean "hit" in a figurative way. Last Thursday's weather report called for severe thunder storms in the afternoon. Well, between 3pm and 3:15pm a tornado touched down just west of my home. The storm and wind caused the 45 year old tree in my backyard to drop 2 huge branches. One landed on my daughter's play house and the other on my roof straddling the power wires.
Luckily, nobody was hurt and we somehow managed to keep our power. Before the storm was even finished we had a call into our insurance company to being the claim process. The next phone call was to the electric company (ComEd) to discuss the remaining tree and damaged electric meter.
Lesson number one - hire a really good insurance company and get to know the wonderful people who work their. State Farm Insurance and specifically, Tracey in Roger Brown's Glen Ellyn office has been nothing but helpful and responsive. They recommended a tree removal service and had the tree off my roof and power lines the very next day.
Lesson number two - it's really hard to get through to a person at ComEd during and after a tornado. I'm still working on getting someone out here to look at the broken meter box and to assess the rest of the tree that is currently leaning toward the electric pole and power box. However, after 3 days, I have a handful of friends without power, so I'm sure ComEd is putting their energy into getting these people back online with electricity.
Homeownership is anything but predictable. And these surprises usually come with a hefty price tag. Be prepared, have important contact information at your fingertips and remember to be thankful for what is really important - the safety of your loved ones.
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