Storm Chasers

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The trucks came from companies that specialize in disaster, including Belfor ("the worldwide leader in disaster recovery and property restoration"), Statewide Disaster Restoration (offices in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Florida), and Jarvis Property Restoration (offices in four states). Contracts were signed, and out came the fifty-foot blue tarps.

Kraft is president of the Huron Farms Condo Association (though the subdivision is made up of single-family homes, common areas are owned collectively). From what he's heard, most of the out-of-town companies did a pretty good job in the hysterical days following March 15.

The help offered by these disaster emergency contractors--or "storm chasers," as Jeff Brown, president of Dexter Builders, calls them with a laugh--is controversial. No one disputes that some Dexter residents needed help that night, but storm chasers are expensive, and in the heat of the moment, homeowners don't always realize that those fees come off the top of their insurance settlements.

Moreover, to the consternation of local builders, some of the storm chasers are sticking around for the rebuilding process.