Volunteers help rebuild St. Regis resident's roof
Amy Lowry's house was struck by this massive Ponderosa Pine tree back on July 2. After several months her families home is finally being repaired. (Photo provided)
A group of volunteers from New Day Fellowship in St. Regis made up the work crew that was led by local contractor Terry Messenbrink. From left, Pastor Morris Hill on the ladder, Russell Cleveland, Shawn Yount and Scott Burrows on the other ladder. (Photo provided)
Remnants of the tree lay in the foreground, and behind it are the newly laid roof sections ready for sheets of tin.
Three months have passed since a storm brought down a large tree on the Lowry’s home in St. Regis. On the afternoon of July 2, strong winds toppled a staggering Ponderosa Pine on the backside of the family’s house, seriously damaging the roof and porch.
In addition to structural harm, a camper and a car were also impacted. Fortunately, no one was hurt. But in the aftermath and cleanup that’s followed, the real pain has been dealing with their insurance company.
Amy Lowry has lived in her home on Mill Creek Road in St. Regis for 20 years. Seeing her place in disrepair has been frustrating.
She remarked, “Repairs are slow just because getting a contractor out to fix anything is super hard. All of them are super busy. The second hurdle was insurance.”
“They do not want to pay actual cost of repairs,” she explained. “They estimated that a contractor is going to cost me $50 an hour. And that materials were way cheaper than they actually are. A sheet of metal is $51 per 10-foot sheet. They quoted $15 per depreciation value. All other materials are the same way.”
Insurance also didn’t cover damages pertaining to Lowry’s camper or vehicle that were destroyed by the tree. But even more surprising the company wouldn’t cover expenses for the tree to be safely removed from the residence.
Lowry said, “They didn’t pay for tree removal. I had to have big equipment come in to remove the tree to not cause further damage. So, with all of that I was $8000 short on being able to hire it done by a contractor.”
Later on, once the tree was lifted from the house the roof leaked and there were also concerns of structural integrity. Lowry detailed, “We lived with the tree on the house for close to two weeks. We camped out in our yard because it was super dangerous with the tree on it. Then we prayed it didn’t rain too much when it did storm!”
For the remainder of the summer, they kept a tarp on the damaged roof and side of their house the best they could. But with winter rapidly approaching Lowry knew she needed to get her home repaired quickly.
When there is a need like this in small communities there is generally a small army of volunteers to save the day.
And thankfully Lowry shared, “Pastor Morris of New Day Fellowship stepped up and recruited a whole bunch of people. I think we had six guys the first work day, and five guys the second day.”
Terry Messenbrink a local contractor donated all his tools, knowledge, his employees, and himself to help with the project.
She continued, “They did half the roof and my plan is to get the other half done, cause it’s still leaking really bad. I was able to just cover the costs of materials so no one would have to foot the bill on that, of which I am grateful for. Terry did donate screws and some roofing wrap as well.”
During one of the work days Lowry supplied food for the workers, then Barbara Hill and Naomi Messenbrink prepared a meal the next day. From those scaling the ladders, driving nails, or fixing lunch, it was true group effort.
Lowry expressed, “I’m a single mom with many hurdles to get over. So, this means more to me than most anything else. To give of time and talent and not ask for anything in return is the truest form of love and support.”
And for those who know Lowry well, they recognize she’s the kind of person who’d do anything in return to help someone in need. Susan Charles of St. Regis, met Amy through the local quilters’ guild. Lowry would drive the bus for the ladies to attend quilt shows.
Charles said of Lowry, “Amy is one of those heroes in the community…. she loves kids, raised her own as single mom and she probably “fosters” half the kids in the trailer park next to her. She’s the bus driver that kids open up to and she stands up for them.”
Lowry’s home was always home base for the neighborhood kids to just hang out or watch a movie. Charles noted, “She really cares about the kids in St. Regis…and she does it on such a limited budget. She once said she would “adopt” a dozen kids if she could, just to give them a better chance.”
After the tree fell and Lowry was in need herself, it moved Charles to see the town come together for her.
She stated, “The work was all done by volunteers, its exactly why we love living in a small community where caring people step “up to the plate” and help. I was so impressed with the amount of work and Terry Messenbrink putting a crew together, and offering his knowledge and tools.”
The next steps in the restoration process are to remove the old metal roofing off the other side and replace whatever sub roofing that’s necessary. Then OSB will be put down, roof wrap, and finally the new sheets of tin.
“Good hearted people are what gives hope and trust these days. We live in a time where everyone seems to be so guarded to do good. I am exceedingly blessed to have these people in my life to love me by being true helpers,” Lowry expressed.
