The before: Work took place Wednesday to remove a fallen tree from the home of Deborah DiPinto in New Waterford, thanks to the generosity of two Cape Breton firms. CONTRIBUTED/BOONEYS EXCAVATION LTD.Days after a New Waterford woman expressed frustration in getting a tree removed from the roof of her home following post-tropical storm Fiona, the Cape Breton Post has learned two local companies offered their services to remove that and other fallen trees from her property.
She spoke with both company owners who, after reading the Post story, wanted to hear DiPinto’s side of the story. “I said, ‘Well, if I could get one of the trees down myself, would that be OK?’ And he told me, ‘No, you’re not allowed to cut trees down that are on government property.” DiPinto added she was especially taken by their kindness, professionalism and humility. “They came in and saved me,” she said.
According to Amanda Dean, vice-president Atlantic with the Insurance Bureau of Canada , homeowners insurance should cover damages caused by wind and rain events such as Fiona. But with the province having rolled out disaster financial assistance for anyone who is not insured or under-insured, there is hope that DiPietro’s roof repairs could be covered.
An aerial view of Booneys Excavation and Woody's Tree Service working to remove a fallen tree from a New Waterford woman's home. CONTRIBUTED - CONTRIBUTEDIn a recent release, IBC noted that the post-tropical storm is estimated to have caused $660 million in overall insured damage, a record-breaking figure based on early financial numbers from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.
However, several properties still contain trees that have been blown onto people’s houses or multiplexes — most notably along a stretch of Whitney Avenue in Sydney.