| | |
| |
Outline of Need:
Norma Eddy had a serious electrical problem throughout her old Thurston County home. She and her family have lived in the rural countryside outside the Washington State capital of Olympia for nearly 50 years. Norma, a Native American of the Snoqualmie Tribe, is not sure exactly how old her house is. “It was old when we bought the house,” she said. In fact, Norma says the brick from her fireplace was said to have been made from the clay in her backyard.
The electrical system consisted of old knob and tube wiring, the most widely used type of wiring in frame buildings up until the late 1920s. While not inherently dangerous, knob and tube wiring is old and its insulation may no longer be intact. To turn on a light, Norma would have to reach up and pull a cord coming from the fixture.
The insulation on Norma's wiring was cracked and frayed and even bare in some places. She risked a fire every time she turned on a light. In fact, home electrical problems account for 67,800 fires, 485 deaths, and $868 million in property losses according to the United States Fire Administration Office of Fire Management Programs, with home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances.
In other words, Norma's house was an accident waiting to happen.
How Rural Development Helped:
Norma had to do something quick but she didn't know where to turn. She called a long list of people, keeping detailed notes from every call.
“I kept getting referred to one organization after another,” she said in frustration. “I needed help quick and I was getting nowhere.”
Finally, after about two months of calling and endless referrals, Norma stumbled on USDA Rural Development by accident. “I finally found someone who could help me,” she said. Norma learned about and applied for a Section 504 home improvement loan/grant combination (learn more about this program) for $12,500. She qualified for the Section 504 Grant lifetime maximum of $7,500 to repair her electrical system and a Section 504 loan for $5,000 to repair and replace a dangerously dilapidated deck that had been built by her husband many years earlier.
The Results:
With the money in hand, Norma hired Huttman Electric Inc. based out of Olympia, to replace her electrical system. According to Owner Werner Huttman, Norma's wiring was the worst he had seen in the 22 years his company has been in business. “It's a miracle her house didn't burn down,” he said.
Huttman had a team of four electricians working over five days to remove the old wiring and replace it with new wiring, a modern junction box, switches, and plug receptacles. “Mrs. Eddy was so grateful that she wrote us a nice letter to thank us, which was very nice,” he recalled.
“I am real happy,” she said. “I don't have to worry about those old exposed wires catching my house on fire and I can now I can turn on my lights just like everyone else."
(December 2004)
|
