Wash. farmers hit hard by floods return to markets

By Associated Press CURTIS, Wash. (AP) - Flats of broccoli, cabbage and onions are ready for planting at Boistfort Valley Farm, where just five months ago, much of Mike Peroni's farm was buried under a foot of mud.

Plenty of mud remains, but hardy plants that were thought lost, like irises and lilies, have started to reclaim the land. Peroni and volunteers are digging trenches by hand for strawberries that are just starting to sprout.

Peroni, like dozens of farmers affected by the massive floods that swept through southwestern Washington in December, is back in business and readying his land so that he can return to farmers markets in the region by next month.

More than 150 southwest Washington producers reported about $12.5 million in damage ranging from loss of feed and dead animals to fence damage and debris, according to a flood update given to Gov. Chris Gregoire this month.

Livestock losses alone numbered about 1,600. About $152,000 in official aid has been given to farms so far, and just over $1.8 million is pending.

The Lewis County Conservation District is using $1.4 million in state money allocated this year to reimburse farmers who've had to re-fence, reseed, cultivate and remove soil from their land. The state Department of Natural Resources has been working for months to clear debris and mud from farmers' land.

But many farmers say customers' donations - in both money and volunteer time - kept them afloat.

"Without them we would have folded. There's just no doubt in my mind," Peroni said. "I gained such a clearer sense of the impact we made on people who buy food from us."

The Washington Farm Bureau donated more than $250,000 to damaged farms. The state Dairy Federation donated about 150 cows worth more than $200,000, as well as feed.

Charlie Haney, general manager of Olympia Farmer's Market, said the market raised close to $70,000 for about a dozen vendors.

Haney said she sent money to farmers who sent her receipts for things they needed that weren't covered by insurance or federal aid, including seeds and planting equipment. The market reopened on April 3, and all the farmers have already returned, or soon will, she said.

"I'm glad they're all coming back," she said. "I don't know where they pull that from. If that happened to me, I probably would have walked away. But farmers are tough."

Peroni's farm is one of 17 organic farms that were hit by the floods. In March, the state Department of Agriculture said all continue to meet organic standards.

Peroni said his ability to get back up and running was hampered by a cold, wet spring. Deliveries of his direct orders of 20-30 pound boxes of fruit and vegetables to customers will be delayed a few weeks because he wanted to wait until the ground was in the best condition possible for planting.

"Normally in our business we take a lot of risks in spring for the sake of being early," he said. "It's a year we're going to take less risks."

Peroni said much of his loss was covered by insurance, and that tens of thousands of dollars in donations helped cover things that weren't, like his irrigation system and greenhouses.

The owners of Twin Oaks Creamery in Chehalis weren't so fortunate. Their lack of flood insurance forced them to dip into federal assistance they received for their damaged home to cover farm expenses.

"It's pretty bad when you have to take your house money to feed your animals," said Heather Howell. "There was just not that immediate assistance for us."

The Howells used donations to buy a new herd of goats, many of which recently had kids, and a trailer where Heather Howell makes cheese.

The couple returned to the Olympia farmers market in April.

"My goals aren't to make money anymore, my goals are to break even," Gary Howell said. "If we can just pay the bills, we're happy."

Storm Damage: Who Pays for It?

Four days after the storms that blew through Central Georgia, people continue to clean up and assess the damage to their homes.Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine now estimates the storm caused $125 million of damage across Georgia.People are now finding out how much damage insurance companies will cover, and how much they'll have to pay out of pocket.Linda Newberry spent the last three days clearing trees from her yard."We have a tree down on the garage and it's actually left a hole in the garage," she said.She has State Farm Insurance, and it'll pay to remove the tree from the garage and to make repairs, but not to remove any of the other three trees that fell in her yard."It's already taken me away from my job and I've already lost three days of work," she said.According to John Oxendine, homeowner's insurance will pay to remove a tree from your roof, but not a fallen tree in your yard.Oxendine spent Thursday traveling through the area, assessing damage. He says people in older homes may have expenses they didn't know about."On your homeowner's insurance, you have to get a separate writer to cover building code changes. And because of the age, I suspect a lot of those homes are not up to the modern code and they might run into problems with the insurance when trying to repair the house."Horace Graham still didn't have power Thursday morning. He also didn't have any idea what Allstate would pay to repair damages around his Bloomfield area home. "Immediately, I called them as soon as I could get through on Monday morning, and right now to date I have not talked with my adjuster with reference to the damages."He says he knows agents are busy, but he feels like his wallet and his peace of mind are at their mercy."I feel like I am in a position I need to just wait and see what happens," he said.Newberry says she wishes she could forget how much she'll have to pay out of pocket to repair her yard."I'm sure that by the time we put it back the way it was, it's going to be several thousand dollars," she said.But she says she learned from this experience, and plans to know her insurance policy for next time. "It'll cause me now to take a real close look at my policy and also compare companies."John Oxendine says his office has set up a hotline for people to call if they have questions about their insurance. For more information about homeowners or any other insurance you can call 1-800-656-2298.

Check insurance, farmers say

A Taranaki couple have been left high and dry after finding out a farm bridge destroyed by recent floods was not insured.
Brian and Mary Gilberd thought they had done everything right when they took out a farm insurance package a number of years ago.
On April 30, the couple woke to find torrential rain had ripped out their main farm bridge, a vital connection to 100 acres (40.4ha) of farmland on the other side of the Okahu Stream.
The pair believed they were well covered with an extensive AMP insurance package that included $100,000 natural disaster cover, an additional $30,000 natural disaster cover and a $20,000 bridge cover.
That package cost $6400 a year.
"When we first bought the farm 23 years ago, we insured everything fully. The following year we put the bridge in. We told the agent we had put the bridge in for $20,000. We wanted cover for it," Mr Gilberd said. However, the couple have been told the policy does not cover the loss of the bridge.
Insurance adviser Gary Dunlop, of Hawera, took over the couple's insurance portfolio three weeks ago and was sympathetic to their plight.
"What that (the bridge cover) is saying is a sum of up to $20,000 would be paid out for a bridge that was worth no more than that. If it is over that, it has to be itemised."
"They genuinely thought they were covered. They had no idea.
"Like most business contracts, the important thing is to have a serious review of the policy every year. Look at the values, look at the options, look at the scope of the cover. Ask questions."
Because the bridge's replacement cost was over $20,000, and it was not separately itemised the Gilberds were not covered.
Mr Gilberd has been told it will take three months before a replacement bridge can be built and it will cost about $40,000.
Mr Dunlop says it would cost $175-$200 a year to insure a $40,000 bridge, but it would have to fit certain criteria, including an engineer's report, before it was accepted by any insurance company.
The sum is certainly something Mr Gilberd could have afforded, if he had been aware.
"My advice to others who have bridges and think they are covered, go and make sure it is itemised and what you are covered against. We are let down and annoyed," Mr Gilberd says.
"I am very naive and typical of other guys. I thought I had done everything right, but my cover was nowhere near satisfactory. I hope from our misfortune, we might save somebody else. I'm grumpy at myself."
The Gilberds' bridge was 16 metres long and sat 5.5m above the Okahu Stream.
Most of the bridge has disappeared. What remains is unusable because it has been damaged.
Three other farmers' bridges were also washed away on Ngariki Rd and another two were damaged, while an Ihaia Rd farmer lost one bridge and had a second damaged during the flooding.
"It was a valuable part of my farm. I struggled to pay for it," Mr Gilberd says.
He is now carving out a ford so that stock can cross, while he waits for the bridge to be rebuilt. He is receiving insurance for his fences and other items damaged in the flooding.

Frost damage losses mount across state

By Kate CampbellAssistant Editor
Several crops suffered damage from the mid-April freeze. It will be several weeks before the extent of loss can be determined.
Although an official tally of crop losses due to freezing temperatures in mid-April is still being compiled, the economic impact will undoubtedly be in the multi-million-dollar range. The losses, primarily in Northern California, cut across a number of crops--winegrapes, walnuts, pears, peaches, prunes and wheat.
As farmers continue to assess the impact of the unseasonable cold snap and hard freeze that hit April 18 to 22, they're dismayed at the mounting signs of damage. Chardonnay grapes in Mendocino and Lake counties were hammered by the cold, while walnuts in Tehama County suffered hit-and-miss damage.
In Yuba and Sutter counties, peaches suffered freeze burn to the core of tender, young fruit. The same is being reported for pears in Lake County and prunes in Glenn County. Hopscotching across wheat fields in various northern counties, the freezing temperatures may cause considerable blanking as the crop progresses. In the San Joaquin Valley, plum growers near Exeter and Porterville report losses. Cherry orchards in San Joaquin County also apparently avoided damage, but farmers will continue to inspect orchards as the season progresses.
Mark Quisenberry, Sutter County agricultural commissioner, said freezing temperatures caused losses of more than 25 percent in many orchards and some farmers may have lost their entire crop. Other prune-growing areas also report losses.
During the worst of the freeze, overnight temperatures dropped into the mid-teens in many areas and stayed well below freezing for many hours through Monday morning, April 21. These subfreezing temperatures hit at a time when vineyards and fruit and nut trees were putting forth new growth, flowering buds and developing "nutlets."
In Mendocino County, records indicate that April's freeze was the worst growers there have seen in nearly half a century, with a very rough, preliminary estimate of crop loss at more than 40 percent countywide. The county's total agricultural production is valued at about $140 million.
"This has been a huge weather event for us," said Dave Bengston, county agricultural commissioner. "And in a lot of ways it's different than past events. We had a lot of walnuts and prunes back then. Those crops have disappeared and now the whole winegrape industry has built up. We didn't have many grape acres 50 years ago.

Roof collapses on building in Northwest Bakersfield

Firefighters are searching for anyone that may have been trapped when the roof collapsed on an office building in northwest Bakersfield. The broken wood and twisted nails show just how bad it could have been. Barbara Natalia, Witness, "This is incredible. Who could possibly believe the roof would fall in on a two year old building?"The building on Meaney Ave in northwest Bakersfield that houses State Farm Insurance and other businesses, was full of people working, when without warning, the overhang on one side of the building came crashing down.The crash was so loud and so violent people working next door say they felt the ground shake and came running outside to see what happened.Matt Brady, Witness, "You can see the pipes. They had to shut off the water. There was water squirting out all over on both ends."A woman who was standing outside suffered some minor scratches on her leg.According to employees, everyone else was accounted for.Even so, firefighters spend more than an hour searching the rubble for anyone that may have been trapped. The cause of the collapse is still unknown.

Insurance adjusters, homeowners survey storm damage

ALLEN – Armed with a clipboard, empathy and years of insurance experience, Chris Jessen resembled a crime scene detective Friday afternoon as he stepped carefully into the Phillips home to survey the storm damage.

Violent winds blew off a large chunk of the roof, launching it into the pool. Insulation covered the back yard like snow.
Mr. Jessen said some of the insulation still inside the house will have to be replaced. So will the saturated drywall and soggy carpets.
Wood flooring is warped. Baseboards are ruined. And glass – from giant chunks to dust-like particles – litters the house, meaning that blankets and bedding need to be trashed.
"It's better to err on the side of caution," Mr. Jessen told Scotti Phillips.
Insurance adjusters have been fanning across North Texas this week after the area was rocked by severe storms and tornadoes. Adjusters have been surveying damage, answering customers' questions and cutting checks.
Preliminary damage estimates were around $20 million, a number that officials say will undoubtedly rise.
State Farm received 5,200 homeowner claims through Thursday, and an additional 2,400 automobile claims across North Texas. Farmers Insurance had received more than 2,800 Texas claims through Friday morning and deployed a so-called mobile claims center bus to help process claims.
Back in Allen, Mr. Jessen, a State Farm claim representative, walked through the palatial home, drawing diagrams of various rooms, jotting down notes about the damage and pointing out problem spots. Dehumidifiers and fans buzzed in the background as workers cleaned up the mess.
Mr. Jessen offered a matter-of-fact diagnosis: The home has suffered moderate damage, but he hasn't discovered structural issues.
Soon, he'll crunch the numbers to determine the extent of the damage. But it's reached into the tens of thousands of dollars, Mr. Jessen said.
Mr. Jessen has spent 18 years as an insurance adjuster, surveying damage caused by tornadoes, hurricanes, hail and straight-line winds. He feels good that he can help people in times of need.
Although storms can be devastating, Mr. Jessen says, they also bring neighbors together.
As he arrived at a Westminster home ravaged by a tornado a couple of years ago, only a slab on the ground remained. He was surrounded by piles of rubble. He talked on the phone with the homeowner, who was recovering in a hospital.
"I'm glad to be talking to you," the homeowner told Mr. Jessen.
In Allen, the Phillipses are grateful that they're OK. Greg Phillips woke 8-year-old Skylar shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday, fleeing to the master bedroom closet. As they escaped, windows exploded, spraying glass across the entire length of the house. Ms. Phillips was out of town on a business trip.
On Friday, she stared at the guest room, which had no ceiling. A temporary roof was in place.
"It's a skylight," Ms. Phillips joked. "It's a nice little added feature. Mother Nature did a little decorating."
Despite the damage, the Phillipses remained light-hearted. They're safe.
But, as Mr. Phillips said, "We've got a long way to go."

Proposed shopping center in Flintstone draws opponents

A purposed shopping complex in Flintstone is drawing mixed reaction from area residents.
The center, which would be at the corner of Ga. 341 and Ga.193, across the street from Ronnie Holden State Farm Insurance, has many residents concerned with safety issues.
A meeting was held with Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell on March 27 to discuss the matter. The property, which is zoned as residential, must be rezoned to commercial for the shopping center to be constructed.
Dave Walker, Flintstone resident, said during the meeting, “There are some serious safety issues that have been developing in the community for years. Traffic is extremely heavy because of the major subdivisions that have been built. A traffic light is needed at the intersection. It is almost impossible for my wife to get into traffic at the State Farm office now.”
The purposed shopping complex will sit on a five-acre lot along a curve on Ga. 341.
Other residents from the area voiced simi
Clearing of the development site in Flintstone is almost completed. (Messenger photo/Larry Brooks)lar concerns at the meeting.
Chris Godfrey said that he lives directly across from the proposed second entrance to the complex in the Eagle Landing subdivision. Godfrey said he was concerned with traffic coming in and out of the complex because of the bad curve where the complex will be located.
“I have small children who play in my yard,” said Godfrey at the meeting. “I worry about their safety.”
Aileen Musco also lives at Eagle Landing and agreed that traffic will become a greater problem for those entering and leaving the subdivision. She also voiced concerns of the quality of life decreasing in her neighborhood due to the increased traffic.
“I can’t see that it is going to serve the neighborhood. I can drive a mile and a half and get anything I need,” Musco said.
Residents at the commissioner’s meeting said they were afraid that the complex would also cause a depreciation of their property values.
Robert Swartz owner of Southern Retail Development and who was not present at the public meeting before the commissioner, purchased the property in January. Mike Price, the engineer of the project, represented the owner’s interests.
In a written statement, Swartz explained his intention of developing the area.
“We are currently going through the rezoning process. Once that is accomplished we plan to start the development and hope to finish it by spring 2009. We are currently looking for tenants and trying to attract business to this location. Our hope is to have a grocery chain like Save-A-Lot come to this location, as well as doctors offices, restaurants, and other retailers.”
There are residents who support the idea of attracting more businesses to the area and believe that such a project could help boost the area’s economy.
Some support proposed center
As of late last week, a new petition of support for the complex was circulating that had many residents welcoming the new development. The petition had 27 names listed showing support.
John Raines, a resident of the area and circulator of the petition, said, “There is a lot of support for this project. The valley needs something. It will help our economy.”
Commissioner Heiskell said she would decide on rezoning of the property on May 8. She said she hoped that all the parties, including the developer, would be present at that meeting so that everyone understood the intentions of everyone involved.
Heiskell said, “I think the community is more interested in the purposed businesses at the location than they are with the traffic concerns.”
The commissioner said that she would go ahead and makes requests of the Department of Transportation to install new traffic lights at the area to help with traffic concerns.
The May 8 meeting will be held at the commissioner’s office in LaFayette to resolve the issue.