Post-Hurricane Ian Reconstruction
Published in the “Celebrate Florida”, April-May 2023 issue, pages 15-16, by the United Church of Christ in Florida.
Excerpts from a mid-March update from Paul Strong, chair of the church Trustees at North Port Community UCC:
Within a week, mold and mildew were causing health problems for people in the church. NPCUCC started holding worship services in our parking lot and signed a work authorization on October 5 for performance of water mitigation and content related services. The contractor came in with a large team and went right to work. By November 15 water and mold damaged materials had been removed from both buildings and their contents packed in boxes. As a result, most ceilings, flooring and insulation were removed from both buildings.
When mitigation work was completed in Decker Hall, Sunday worship services were moved into the hall, using temporary lighting and folding chairs. Our church offices were moved into the church’s kitchen, which had minimal damage. When mitigation work was completed in the church building, we began using our Fellowship Hall for our worship services. The groups that used Decker Hall are also using the Fellowship Hall.
NPCUCC has $1,089,279 property insurance coverage on the church building and $60,000 on its contents. Decker Hall is insured for $242,279 with no contents coverage. Named storms have a 3% deductible and our 20+ year old roof is covered at “actual cash value,” not replacement cost. An insurance claim was submitted shortly after the hurricane. The insurance company provided us with a $75,000 advance payment, which we paid to our mitigation contractor.
It is now mid-March and we received invoices totaling almost $565,000 from our mitigation contractor. The insurance company is challenging contractor work hours, whether all of the mitigation work was required and whether some of the damage was caused by flooding, which is not covered by the insurance policy. As a result, we have received no additional funds from the insurance company. The Small Business Administration (SBA) determined that we had insufficient income to repay a Disaster Loan and declined to issue us a loan. We have submitted a request to FEMA for a Public Grant but have no idea when or if we will receive a grant.
Between member donations, fundraising and financial reserves, we have approximately $60,000 which we are putting toward a $102k roof replacement contract. In addition to insurance coverage, we will probably need approximately $200,000 to completely restore our buildings.
Editor’s Note: The church is seeking financial assistance to help fund reconstruction of their buildings and enable us to continue to do God’s work in our community. They have established a GoFundMe link for this purpose: Damage from Hurricane Ian.
Update March 20, 2023: FEMA gave preliminary approval for a Public Grant. Amount and details still need to be worked out.
Update March 27, 2023: Mark Kaufman Roofing began replacing the roof on the church today and expects to complete both roofs within a week.