Ray Atwood, owner of Ray's Cycles in Bolton, awoke the morning
after tropical storm Irene to see three feet of water surrounding
his shop and spilling into the basement of his house. He rushed out
to his shop and found floating inventory, water invading motorcycle
motors and valuable automobiles.
The Winooski River had overflowed. The water came through
culverts across US-Route 2 and flooded Ray's business, the basement
of his home and his outbuildings. In the forty-four years Ray had
lived in Bolton, he had never seen anything like it.
More than $10,000 worth of stock would eventually be thrown
away. A Porchse 944, a Mercedes 560SL and a Dodge Viper - cars Ray
was storing for customers - were all total losses. Water had
inundated twelve motorcycles. He lost his personal truck, his car
and his camper trailer, which he had moved into the shop for refuge
from the storm.
Fortunately, no work in process was ruined. Insurance covered
his automobiles and camper. "I can't say enough good about my
insurance company, Hartford Insurance. They paid a fair value on
all of the stuff."
But, far more was not covered by insurance. All his electrical
equipment - including welders, sprayers, and compressor -- were
ruined. The two shop furnaces were destroyed. He lost family
history dating back to his great-grandmother: photos
High water lineand paper curled and permanently stuck together.
In total, over $100,000 of damage was not covered. Ray did not
have flood insurance. FEMA's disaster relief check was a mere
$654.
Rebuilding a business at 70 years old is not an easy task, but
that is exactly what Ray has undertaken. The shop is his only
source of income. "At the beginning, I was just walking around in a
daze," he said. "I didn't know where to begin."
Volunteers are helping greatly with the clean up. "We were
really lucky. The Saturday after the storm we must have had 50
people in here helping to tear things apart so we could rebuild,"
he said.
He is funding the rebuild by using the money from his auto and
camper insurance settlement. "I figured we can live without a car
for awhile," he said.
A month after the storm, he has repaired much of his workshop.
With help, he has replaced drywall, painted walls, and dried tools.
His workbench is back in place. But, there is still work to be done
and he has already lost a month's income during the rebuild.
Through it all, Ray has remained optimistic and grateful. He
hopes to be back in business by early October.
Related
How to help Ray
You can help Ray. His daughter, Corine Nicholson has setup an
inlu.com web site that tells Ray's story and
takes donations to help Ray.
Ray is an expert in body work, plastic repair, painting and
restoration. He is a certified Glasurit painter and does State
Motorcycle Inspections.
He is former President and the founding member of the Cycle Conservation Club of
Vermont.
Ray's Cycles is located on US-2 in
Bolton. He can be reached at 434-3956.
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