A PROFESSOR has been forced to shell out €30,000 in just clean-up costs after her Limerick home was destroyed in Storm Eowyn.
Maura Adshead from Castleconnell in Co Limerick, revealed that her home is still in ruins after a tree fell on it due to strong winds.
Maura Adshead’s Limerick home was destroyed during Storm Eowyn[/caption]
She has had to pay €30,000 in clean-up costs before any work has even started to the house[/caption]
The professor has had to pay out €30,000 to clean up the area before parts of her home can be rebuild.
Though the damage was severe, Maura told RTE that she is grateful her family was unharmed and that they are fortunate to have escaped without injury.
According to the Department of Finance, around 27,000 claims have been filed after Storm Eowyn – with total costs potentially reaching up to €240 million.
During the storm, a massive 100-year-old tree crashed onto her house and crushed the roof while she and her family were sleeping.
Maura credits her husband’s snoring for ultimately saving her life, as she had moved to sleep in a different room before the storm havoc.
Since the storm, Maura said she has been on an emotional and financial rollercoaster, navigating the process of clean-up and trying to figure out what her insurance will cover.
She told RTE that while an insurance assessor is essential to determine the full extent of the damage, they take a cut of the total cost.
What’s more, the insurance doesn’t cover the large clean-up fee she has been given.
Without a proper professional assessment, Maura worries she might miss out on accounting for all the losses.
She said: “I’d say we are the best part of €30,000 down in expenses at present in having the tree cleared with a tree surgeon and a crane that was necessary as part of that, as well as putting all our household belongings into storage, and we worry how much of all of this will be covered.
“We’re still waiting to hear if these will be covered, how much will we get and will we get anything in advance.
“You just don’t realise how much you’ve lost, and that only happens as the weeks go by following this disaster.”
Maura revealed that finalising costs with a builder has also been uncertain, as it’s hard to predict how the costs will evolve during the rebuilding process.
”SUCH A DISASTER’
She added: “Finalising costs with a builder is also a journey into the unknown because they are not always sure of those costs or what will emerge during reconstruction.
“We’re in a position to deal with such a disaster, but I think of the people who may not be. This is a really difficult position to be in, and a really taxing one financially, and emotionally in every way.”
New data indicates around €112million worth of damage was done to homes around the country due to Storm Eowyn, with a further €122million to commercial property.
There were also 1,649 motoring claims following damages of €6.7million arising from the storm.
Maura said it has been an emotional and financial rollercoaster since the storm[/caption]
