Damaged home condemned in Stafford

BY KATIE THISDELL

A house on Eskimo Hill Road is now condemned after a downed tree destroyed the roof during Friday’s severe thunderstorms.

The red sign was posted at the door Tuesday afternoon, as the Williams family worked to retrieve necessities from inside their severely damaged home in Stafford County.

But while the family scrambled to find motel rooms for the past three nights and worried about their finances, members of the community and county are now working to help them.

“It looks like a light is shining,” said Linda Williams.

The Stafford Safety Net Program, funded by power companies and donations on residents’ utilities bills, will provide a hotel for at least two days, as the family works things out with their insurance provider.

“They will be well taken care of for the next two days,” said Deputy County Administrator Tim Baroody.

But before that arrangement was made, Williams said her family of four kids and one 18-month-old granddaughter would find a motel laterat night.

During the daytime, the family have been working to clear the tree off their roof and debris from the yard, while cooling off in the shade across the street from their house.

Traffic has been busy as people haul debris to the landfill farther down Eskimo Hill Road.

Interim Fire & Rescue Chief Mark Lockhart said at least 14 buildings were damaged in Friday night’s “derecho.” Most roads in the county are now reopened, and primary debris removal is complete, Lockhart told the Board of Supervisors.

The Williamses had not contacted SERVE in Stafford, said director Marilyn Stevens.

“Hopefully they will call us if they need us,” she wrote in an email.

For now, the Williamses don’t have a central place for donations and said the best option for anyone who is wondering how to help would be to drop items off at the house. Williams said the family would appreciate food, snacks, drinks, even charcoal and bug spray. “Anything you might need if you were living outside,” she said.

Lauren Williams, 16, who has been keeping track of the handful of donations of food and cash, wants to send everyone who has stopped to help a big thank-you.

Katie Thisdell: 540/735-1975

kthisdell@freelancestar.com

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