Last April, fire destroyed a storage barn and several greenhouses at the Wilson's Garden Center in Newark, OH (Photo). Fortunately, nobody was injured. The losses, however, were substantial and the accident at the worst possible time: the beginning of the season. The accident would have been even worse had it not been for the fact that chemicals were stored in another place.
This incident should serve as a reminder to all growers that accidents like this can happen to anybody. Prevention is the best cure...
Following is a letter from a grower from another state who was affected by fire and wanted to share his experience with the industry. This letter appeared first in the magazine "Greenhouse Business", April, 1966.
Value Insurance
I read with great interest your article about insurance. I don't feel you even scratched the surface. This past summer, Hawk's Nest Nursery had a tragic fire. The extent of the damage and loss of our business and personal property was extensive. All of a sudden, one needs to know what insurance covers.
This is what we learned about the insurance we had.
1. Not all of the inventory we had for retail sales was covered by insurance. Update your inventory coverage as your business grows each season.
2. We had no insurance for loss of income during this reconstruction period. We had to reopen and continue to do business as the payables go on. Employees may be lost as there isn't the cash to meet a payroll.
3. All of our buildings and production facilities were fully insured and are being rebuilt better as we had a provision in our policy for current value replacement.
4. Rent a video camera and tape everything you have, all the structures, tools and anything else related to the business. and put it in a fireproof safe. If you have a fire, the most difficult part of starting again is trying to remember what you had. I was told our policy makes very limited provisions for personal property under the business policy and vice versa.
5 . Don't expect any fast and easy settlement from your insurance company. In our area, we have companies licensed by the state who assist the policy holder to get everything the policy entitles him to. There is a fee for this but the services are worth every penny.
The personal and emotional devastation from a tragedy like fire takes a toll on oneself, and at times irrational decisions are made. Wait a couple of weeks before getting into the rebuilding process; it won't make any difference and you will function on a more normal level. Don't say to yourself, "This won't happen to me, my facility was built to code, etc." Our fire was a freak accident. We said, "This eight-year-old facility can't burn", and yet it did. Thanks for listening. Maybe this will help a fellow grower update his coverage or purchase insurance if he isn't insured.
Craig Harvick,
Hawk's Nest Nursery, Inc.
Production Manager
Hilton, N.Y.
