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Chester County couple still fighting insurer over Hurricane Ida damage | Weekly Business Newsletter

Weekly Business Newsletter

Brooke and Glen Henderson in the basement with a large crack in the foundation behind them in their home in Cochranville, PA., Wednesday, April 20, 2022. Hurricane Ida dumped 10 inches of rain in this part of Chester County, leading the Henderson's septic tank to overflow and ruin Brooke's just-harvested hemp crop that was curing in the basement and the Henderson's personal belongings as well as damaging the house foundation.
Brooke and Glen Henderson in the basement with a large crack in the foundation behind them in their home in Cochranville, PA., Wednesday, April 20, 2022. Hurricane Ida dumped 10 inches of rain in this part of Chester County, leading the Henderson's septic tank to overflow and ruin Brooke's just-harvested hemp crop that was curing in the basement and the Henderson's personal belongings as well as damaging the house foundation.Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

Hurricane Ida left more in its wake than flooding- and wind-damage. Nearly a year since the storm moved through the region, some homeowners are still wrestling with insurance claims. Brooke and Glen Henderson endured extensive damage to their Chester County home, including the loss of 340 pounds of hemp the couple had just harvested and stored in their basement.

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— Ezequiel Minaya(@zekeminaya, business@inquirer.com)

Hurricane Ida ruined $80,000 of hemp drying in Pa. couple’s basement. They’re still fighting the insurer 8 months later

Hurricane Ida dumped seven inches of water over many hours on Sept. 1, 2021. But disaster for Brooke and Glen Henderson struck within the first 30 minutes when an overwhelmed septic system spewed hundreds of gallons of sewage into the couple’s basement, contaminating the 340 pounds of hemp drying in bins and personal belongings, as well as bowing the basement wall.

Ida may be a weather footnote from last summer for many. But for homeowners such as the Hendersons, the storm marked just the beginning of a trench battle with the insurance industry that painfully lingers — in the Hendersons’ situation, with the added heartbreak of watching sewage destroy their first commercial crop.

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