Herald Writer
GRANITE FALLS — Storm-toppled trees across the Mountain Loop Highway on Tuesday night delayed Gina Anzelmo’s arrival home.
"I was just hoping all the way down the hill there would be nothing on my house," she said Wednesday. "But there it was."
When she pulled into her driveway, she saw that an 80-foot hemlock had uprooted and smashed one corner of her secluded home on a high bank overlooking Canyon Creek east of town. The tree continued on and nearly flattened a carport.
She’s no stranger to the pangs of getting things back to normal. In 2000, four big trees fell across her house, two sheds and a deck, causing her to live in a 40-foot travel trailer for five months while repairs were made.
The single mother of a teenage son, the sight of a second attack by nature on her home devastated Anzelmo.
"It was a kick in the gut to have it happen again," she said. "I was just grateful we weren’t in it when it happened, because last time we were."
She has an advantage over many other Snohomish County homeowners with similar storm-caused problems: She knows what to do and what to expect in upcoming weeks while repairs are made.
On Wednesday, her Farmers Insurance agent dispatched someone to cut the tree from her house. An adjuster and a contractor came to figure out what repairs were needed.
The house was a mess. A blue plastic tarp protected an exposed bedroom, where the roof and walls will have to be replaced.
Friends and relatives were cutting the tree into pieces Wednesday and burning branches and debris. Power was still out, but a generator kept the water pump going as a safeguard for the burning material.
The tree crashed into the roof of her son’s bedroom, fortunately leaving most of his belongings intact. Anzelmo said damage could total $30,000.
Her son was extremely upset, she said. "He couldn’t believe it happened again."
In 2000, contractors built a tarp tent over the home to protect it from the weather while the roof was repaired. The problem was complicated, because the home is a combination of conventional and shaved-log construction.
There’s just one thing on her mind right now: "Fix it." But that will require time and effort.
"I’ll have to go through all this again, even if it isn’t as bad this time," Anzelmo said. "It’s just a hassle having people in and out of the house. And now I have to worry about taking some more trees down."
After the November 2000 storm, she had an expert identify trees that could be a danger. Those were taken down. But obviously it wasn’t enough.
"It’s a hazard of living in the forest, and that’s part of this property’s charm. It’s the trees that make it beautiful."
For now, she cares more about being made whole. "I want this whole thing to be over with. I want to get my house fixed and move on," Anzelmo said.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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