Ice Damage Recovery Continues

Saturday, February 17th 2007, 8:52 pm

By: News On 6

More than a month after Muskogee was covered in ice, the city continues to recover. Many residents have yet to repair their damaged roofs, which can be a confusing and overwhelming process, and professionals recommend you ask the right questions before going ahead with the repairs. News on 6 reporter Chris Wright reports that some local companies are helping answer questions about the process.

Over the past five weeks, members of the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce say they have been inundated with hundreds of ice-storm related calls.

"A lot of the questions that are coming in are wanting to know who is going to pay for the cleanup," said Treasure Ruttman with the Chamber.

In addition to asking about tree-limb cleanup, the Chamber says people are also asking what they should do about their damaged roofs.

At Saturday's Muskogee Home and Garden Show, American Exteriors hoped to answer some of those questions. Company members fielded insurance and repair queries, and also provided advice to people on how to best protect their roofs during future storms.

"There's a lot of people still out there with tree damage, trees on their roof, tree limbs sticking through the roof, that sort of thing," Chester Ullrich with American Exteriors said.

Meanwhile, contractors continued to repair roofs around town, and say it could be a while before everyone has one over their head again. American Exteriors says once people can afford to fix their roofs, they should follow a couple of simple steps. Check your contractor's performance record, ask for references, don't choose a contractor based on price alone and make sure they are offering the proper warranty.

And if you have any questions, it doesn't hurt to ask.

"Most people are welcoming our help because they don't know who to call, if they should call five or six different contractors," said Ullrich.

American Exteriors says the storm may change how Muskogee residents choose to build their roofs. While most of the questions they fielded during the Home and Garden Show were related to insurance and repair, a fair amount of people did ask about installing a roof that would prevent ice damming. The company says ice damming was almost unheard of in Oklahoma until this year.