Marie Gupil, who lives in the Village of Morris, is hopeful the SBA’s disaster loan program will help her pay for some of the damage done to her property. At the very least, she will use the federal loan to pay back another loan, which she took out of her 401K in order to begin repairs.
“I did take a loan out of my 401K because I gotta get it paid for,” Gupil said. “It’s got to get done.”
Gupil’s cellar was inundated with water after severe storms caused the Reservoir Brook, which runs through Morris, and that borders Gupil’s home, to flood. Both the new furnace she bought last year and the electric box must be replaced.
As of Monday, Gupil had not heard whether she was accepted into the SBA loan program. In the meantime, she hired a crew to fix the stream bank, a $10,000 project.
Floodwaters rotted the metal wire cages that held a foundation made of rocks and pebbles to prevent further erosion from the bank. Gupil first added them to her home after floods in June 2006, during which she lost some of the land between her house and the creek.
There was nearly 2 feet of grass between her home and the stream bank. Today, there is no land between the stone foundation of her home and the cages protecting the bank.
“It’s like a race against Mother Nature,” Gupil said.
Gupil said she does not want to begin repairs inside her home until she knows the outdoor perimeter is secure.
