GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — Grand Rapids got hit hard by thunderstorms last week and residents have been cleaning up damaged homes and fallen trees since.
Grand Rapids resident Abby Carpenter and her family are still returning to normal after a tree fell on the duplex she lives in. Most damages are repaired, but she said some things still need an expert to look at them.
"The gutters seem to be a little messed up and they're talking about possibly a new roof, but we'll see," Carpenter said. "Time will tell once we have insurance companies looking at it, and contractors come and look at it and see what they can do for us."
Carpenter rents, so her landlord will be handling the final repairs.
Some have hired help for the cleanup, though, and need to ensure the contractors they're paying aren't crooked.
Lane Montz, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau in northwest Ohio, said people should consider seeking contractors with a local office instead of out-of-town companies.
"If things get drug out or there's a problem, you will have a place that you can walk through the front door and talk to somebody," Montz said.
Montz said before he worked at the BBB, he was an attorney and went after bad contractors.
One of the biggest mistakes he said people make is not getting a written contract.
"Not a text quote, not a phone quote, get a written contract," Montz said. "Make sure you understand the contract and make sure you don't put too much money down as a down payment."
When communities are recovering from severe weather damage, contractors who chase storms will do door-to-door offering services. Montz said working with them might not be the best idea, though.
"Call your insurance agent and ask them who they recommend and see if you can get them invited out," Montz said. "Those insurance agents are not going to recommend bad contractors."
Some people in Grand Rapids are choosing to make final repairs themselves, but when it came to tree cleanup, Carpenter said the community was there to help.
"We all lean on each other in times of need which is nice about this place because we always have somebody," Carpenter said.
Montz also recommends going to the BBB website to find a contractor rated by the agency.