CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Commission pushed for a speedy resolution to repair damages to residents’ homes that were damaged by a hillside collapse at Yeager Airport last week. At Thursday night’s meeting, commissioners laid out plans for local officials to work with insurance companies to get aid to those affected as quickly as possible.
The collapse damaged several homes on Keystone Drive as well as decimating Keystone Apostolic Church. Commission President Kent Carper made it clear that insurance companies should respond as quickly as they can.
“I realize it’s complicated. But we have folks who have been displaced, we have a church that was totally destroyed,” he said. “Now is the time, not months from now, or even weeks from now, to see to it that these folks get an answer from the various insurance companies.”
County officials have already been meeting with three insurance companies that represent the airport and the two companies that engineered and constructed the overrun area eight years ago.
The county omission will hire local real estate expert Jay Goldman as a representative for the people who suffered home damage, to serve as an independent appraiser for the property values. Carper insisted that it wouldn’t be fair to have people pay for appraisal services themselves.
“These folks shouldn’t have to pay for (appraisal). It certainly isn’t their fault,” he said. “So to assist them we’re going to have independent appraisals done if they want to use it. And I’m paying Mr. Goldman to represent those, if they choose to do so, who have had property damaged or destroyed.”
Yeager Airport officials said 116 people were displaced by the collapse. Airport Director Rick Atkinson said that the FAA has already started to buy out properties that were closest to the damage. Carper insisted that the longer the investigation goes on, the more costly it is likely to be, so he and his Commission will do everything they can to resolve these crises in a timely fashion.
Carper said he would be willing to have a special commission meeting next Wednesday to further discuss ways to assist residents.