Firms help Jackson rebuild after tornado damage

Two years ago this month, a tornado swept through Jackson damaging 255 homes and 25 businesses. But to drive through the community today visitors would never know there was such extensive damage.

Residents in the area hit hardest by the storm have rebuilt their houses, relocated businesses and moved on with life. And they've learned a few lessons about the importance of a good insurance policy.

Gail Seabaugh, whose husband, Garry, owns Seabaugh's Woodworking at 425 East Main St., said the insurance they had paid off.

Their building was damaged pretty extensively by the storm that also hit fire and police headquarters before moving to more residential areas.

"Our insurance paid off right away," Seabaugh said. "We didn't have enough insurance on the buildings, but we can't complain about our insurance company. They came in and looked at the damage and wrote us a check about two days after the tornado. No questions asked."

Most people who had property damaged by the storm reported a quick response from their insurance companies. Local agents offered more help than federal officials, Seabaugh said.

"It was our local insurance guy who helped us, just like he said he would," she said.

Ruby Shrader has a new appreciation for the hard work her insurance agent and the firm provided. Her home at 2025 Ridge Road suffered $75,000 worth of damage -- so much so that she and her husband, Jim, had to move out of the residence while it was being repaired. The house needed new windows, a new furnace and air-conditioning unit, a new roof and a carport.

"Our insurance company was absolutely remarkable," Shrader said. "In less than a week, a district manager who covers several states was here a couple times and the district manager for this area was also here. Everything we said was wrong, they fixed."

Handling claims after the storm was a little overwhelming for Bill Wallace, owner of Wallace's State Farm Insurance. His office on East Main Street was hit by the twister -- glass shattered and tree limbs landed in the lobby.

"As you might think, I was insured by State Farm," he said. "I got a new window and new carpeting. Everything was fixed up."

But there were plenty of other claims to handle and other State Farm agents came to help.

"We were working seven days a week," Wallace said.

It took some work to inspect the damage to all the buildings owned by Rita Leimer. The Kasten Building Supply location suffered roof and wall damage and her Cross Creek Antiques store had much the same structural problems. Storage units she rents had items "all over the city of Jackson," she said.

But her insurance covered everything.

"One company covered all the buildings, and everything that was damaged was repaired," Leimer said. "We never saw the insurance agents but we were compensated in a timely manner."

Larry Stone, owner of K-9 Training Center, was underinsured and lost everything when his business was destroyed. Ralph Wille, who owns Meyer's Bakery, said it took a year to rebuild because of contractor delays, not problems with insurance.

"I probably should have had a little more insurance on it, but I was stingy," Wille said. "My insurance company took good care of us. We heard a few stories about some people having insurance problems, but I was compensated real good."

In the year following the tornado, construction permits in Jackson rose 70 percent, primarily due to reconstruction after the tornado.