Wyoming Area 
This Whole Thing Was A Tempest In A Teapot 
Thomas Kearns 
President, Wyoming Area School Board, On A Group's Claim He Failed To Pay His 
Taxes 
Gripe About Board Chief Ends Meeting 
A Complaint About An Elected Official's Taxes Is ``not Relevant,'' Says The

3a Haz 
Cul-de-sac 
Suggested 
On Evans St

By LEANORA MINAI; Times Leader Consumer Reporter
 Tuesday, January 25, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A QUICK WORDS: HAS WATER PLAYED HAVOC
WITH YOUR HOME 





Damage from snow melting and dripping down your walls, buckling plaster and
warping hardwood floors is covered by most home-insurance policies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But you may not be so lucky with personal property. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Items such as soaked couches or stained curtains are not insured unless
they're damaged from the "weight of ice, snow or sleet," said Loretta Worters,
spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute in New York City. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ~~~"That's the literal interpretation of the policy, but homeowners should
call their agency," Worters said. "Often, the company is willing to go beyond
the letter of the policy." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 People are calling. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scores of homeowners have telephoned agencies to report leaky walls and
roofs from "ice dams" that have formed on roofs from frigid temperatures. As
residents dig out of a storm that dumped nearly 17 inches of snow, insurers
have been flooded with so many claims that you may be forced to wait several
days before an appraiser comes to your house. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's unbelievable here," said Leni Piasky, a claims superintendent for
State Farm Insurance in Northeastern Pennsylvania. "Normally in a month we
have 150 claims. In the last week and a half, we've got about 600 claims." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's almost like a catastrophe-type situation, claimwise," said Dave
Andes, owner of State Farm Insurance on Pierce Street in Kingston. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ice dams have been the most common complaint, according to area insurance
agencies and home contractors. They form when water backs up and freezes in
gutters. Snow that melts has no place to run off, so it backs up and freezes
along the roof and under shingles. Snow then melts and trickles through door
and window jambs and into the house. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The ice has built up to the point where the water can't escape," said Lou
Ruckno, owner of Ruckno Construction Company of Forty Fort, which has received
more than 100 calls to remove dams in the last two days. "It backs up under
the shingles and comes down inside people's houses." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At this point, the best advice for homeowners sweating over dams is to call
a contractor. Contractors will even sever those dangerous icicles that hang
like daggers from eaves. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you see brown icicles, that means water has seeped inside your siding
and is stained from the color of the shingles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For about $200 per house, contractors will chop several 3-foot-wide
channels into the dams along the roof so water will run off. Then they'll
spread white pellets of calcium chloride to melt ice. Most contractors will
not chop ice out of gutters because the aluminum would be damaged. Other
contractors suggest removing gutters altogether to prevent a recurrence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Contractors say homeowners can do the channel chopping themselves, but they
say it's too dangerous, especially with ice on the ground. And most preventive
measures, such as channel chopping, are not covered under insurance policies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tim and Kathryn Albeck of Murray Street in Forty Fort telephoned Ruckno
last Friday to dig channels along their roof, where ice dams had formed. Water
started seeping through the attic, making its way to the bedroom, living room,
then basement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The wall was almost like a waterfall," Kathryn Albeck, 29, said on Monday.
"You could see water trickling down the wall, and the carpet was soaked." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Insurance agents want clients to telephone their offices immediately to
report damage, not wait until the end of winter. Homeowners should remove
appliances and furniture from leaky areas, but they should not throw out any
damaged property. Snapping photographs of damage for claims is a good idea,
contractors say. And save all receipts, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An appraiser ultimately will decide whether the personal contents in a home
will be covered -- right down to whether a throw rug or wall-to-wall carpeting
is insured. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Decisions such as those will depend largely on how an insurance agent
interprets a policy, Worters, of the insurance institute, said. Some, such as
Boyle Insurance Agency in Wilkes-Barre, may cover personal damage if it says
the weight of ice and snow caused water to leak through the roof, damaging a
rug or television. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Others, such as State Farm, may say there must be exterior damage, such as
a gaping hole in the roof or a collapse, before personal items inside the
house are covered. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We've had three or four claims where rain gutters have ripped from the
buildings ... contents would be covered," Andes said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Either way, here are some tips to avoid ice dams, which have been the most
common cause for damage claims in the area, said Mark Dolph, a Ruckno
supervisor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Insulate attic floors to contain heat in the house. Heat that escapes
through ceilings travels to the roof and melts snow, causing leakage. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you re-roof your house, ask for "ice and water shield." It is an
expensive waterproof, tarlike material that acts as a buffer between shingles
and the ceiling. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the spring, install heat wires along the eaves and into the gutters to
prevent water from freezing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Salt woes &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 -- Page 3A &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/RICHARD SABATURA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 W. Steransky, a construction worker for Ruckno Construction Company in
Forty Fort, chops channels into ice dams on the roof of a Murray Street home
in Forty Fort on Monday this caption for 12a &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/RICHARD SABATURA &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bob Mosley, Wilkes-Barre city's building inspector, examines the front
porch of a house on South River Street that collapsed Monday from the weight
of snow and ice.

Has Water Played Havoc With Your 
Home? What To Do 
If Melting Snow Has Seeped Into Your House 
And Done Some Damage, Your Home-insurance 
Policy May Have You Covered

Has Water Played Havoc With Your Home? What To Do If Melting Snow Has Seeped Into Your House And Done Some Damage, Your Home-insurance Policy May Have You Covered