City Seeks Disaster Declaration Through Building Inspections
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WYLIE (CBS11) - It definitely looks like a disaster to the homeowners who had roofs cave in on them, but whether the federal government declares Wylie storm damage a disaster will depend in part on the inspections happening across the city.
A new coffee bar had to delay its grand opening after last week's hailstorm. It's one of several damaged businesses in the historic downtown area the city is trying to promote.
And while the city's own inspectors kept busy there, many from neighboring cities volunteered to help in other parts of town.
Gary Taylor had planned to open his new coffee bar earlier this week, but the hail damage had a snowball effect.
"Who wants to have an opening of a store with glass broken out?" Taylor said.
Without the windows, he was afraid to stock the new business with coffee that would go bad in poor humidity. That meant he couldn't train his new employees to be ready in time to open.
"You've obviously got holes the size of your fist in the roof. You've got windows that not just the glass is broken but the frame itself is broken," Taylor said.
It's just one example of the impact the storm has had on commerce in Wylie.
The exterior of a Brookshire's grocery store looks like someone used it as a firing range.
It's one of the larger businesses that Plano building inspectors surveyed along with nearby homes.
"I know there's quite a few businesses that are closed down for a couple of months and won't be able to reopen," Plano building inspector Sergio Luna said.
Plano is one of several cities volunteering its inspectors to help collect information to pass on to federal authorities with the hope of getting a disaster declaration for Wylie.
"It's definitely a disaster zone. You fly overhead, and all you see is blue tarps," Taylor said.
The declaration could open the door for federal grant money that residents and businesses could receive in the form of low interest loans and other relief.
Taylor says the sooner Wylie gets the help it needs, the sooner everyone can get back to normal.
Inspectors plan to continue the work next week.
City officials won't know whether they can be considered for a disaster declaration until they have an estimate on total damage.
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