Galenaarea couple benefit from kindness of neighbors, strangers By MAEGAN CLEARWOOD Student intern | Posted: Thursday, August 16, 2012 12:00 am GALENA All that's left of the Wright family's guesthouse is a heap of rubble and branches. The four trees that slammed through the building lie beside the debris, evidence of the June 29 derecho that barreled through. If it weren't for two days of effort from a team of Home Depot volunteers, the house wouldn't even be visible. "I really couldn't believe the scope of damage and amount of tree damage we needed to clean up. There was so much debris in one concentrated area. You really couldn't see the scope of how bad it was until we cleared it out," said Home Depot employee Todd Rill, whose crew spent July 17 and 18 armed with chain saws and power tools, clearing branches from the wreckage.
Storm damage The June 29 windstorm that pounded upper Kent County destroyed Kathie and Sam Wright's guesthouse off Gregg Neck Road.
Sam and Kathie Wright, who live off Gregg Neck Road near Galena, were asleep when the wind storm hit. They had braced themselves for some possible damage, but could never have predicted the wreckage they saw the morning after. "It was quick and it was furious," Kathie Wright said last week during an interview at her home. "I had a dreadful feeling about that storm." The guesthouse, which Sam's parents built in 1952, is situated on the Sassafras River behind the Wrights' home. The four trees, including one that was 350 years old with a trunk width of four and a half feet, "completely totaled" the building, Wright said. "It was totally unreal, like life had changed," she said. "And it had." Volunteers from Home Depot of Middletown, Del., passed through the area the next morning, helping residents whose homes were damaged from the storm. They were quick to help the Wrights clear a path to the guesthouse. "Their encouragement and earnest concern filled our hearts with hope that there are people and corporations who honestly care about the common person," Wright wrote in a thank you note to Home Depot. Wright's brother, owner of a North Carolina tree service, and local farmer Floyd Price volunteered their time and equipment to help clear the debris. Given the scope of damage, however, the Wrights realized they needed more manpower to complete the job. "While in prayer, I felt impressed to contact Home Depot," Kathie Wright said. "I'm always amazed at how God gets things done." She was put in contact with Rill, who rounded up a crew of volunteers within an hour. "I listened to her story, and Home Depot tries to do what they can for people in need like that," Rill said in a telephone interview. "It's instilled in every employee that we help in every way we can."
"Attempting to keep my emotions in check, it was amazing to be sharing my feelings of frustration with a perfect stranger. I was stunned when Todd had a plan in progress by noon that same day," Wright said. "I had a prayer, and God came through. When I saw that tractor come through my gate – and it had no room to spare – my heart and hopes went through the roof. It was amazing how these guys became family. There wasn't anything they wouldn't do." The crew of family and friends spent two ninehour days in 100degree heat, slicing through tree trunks and hauling away branches. "It was the hottest day I've seen in a long time. It was brutal," Rill said. "It was a big job, but we're glad we were a part of it." Once the area was clear, Wright faced another obstacle: convincing her insurance company that the guesthouse is a complete loss. So far, she's talked to five contractors and two structural engineers to gather evidence of the extent of damage. "They all agree it's totaled," she said. "There was a lot of cleanup, but now the biggest battle is the insurance." She has a binder full of forms and paperwork, evidence of weeks of correspondence with the insurance company. "I feel like David fighting Goliath," she said. "Except David knew the rules of the game, and I don't know anything." Although the circumstances are frustrating, Wright said she is confident everything will ultimately come together. "I have peace and contentment that things will turn out," she said.