Follow these important steps for reporting damages to personal property and registering for financial assistance:

Step 1: Assess and document the damage
Identify and make a list of all the damages.
Take pictures of the damages.
Estimate how much you think it will cost for repairs or to replace your belongings.

Step 2: Call your insurance company
Locate your insurance policy documents (if available) and call your insurance company.
Report damages. Your insurance carrier will advise you on coverage and additional steps to be taken.

Step 3: Call the King County Damage Reporting Hotline or file your report online
Complete an online damage report form -OR- call the King County Damage Reporting Hotline: 1-800-523-5044.

You will be asked several questions including the estimated damage to your home and belongings, as well as your insurance coverage. This information will be used to establish a county-wide damage assessment which will aid us in obtaining federal assistance. Even if you have suffered only minor damage and do not expect to need assistance, you should submit a report. Information you will need includes:

• Contact information
• Address of the damaged property
• Name of the owner or renter
• Estimated pre-disaster value of the property
• Estimated structural damage
• Estimated personal property loss
• Primary cause of the damage
• Insurance coverage for the flosses and the amount of your deductible
• Is the property habitable?
• Is the property accessible?
• Is the damage major or minor?
• A description of the damage

Reporting forms:

Residential:
The purpose of this form is to collect information from primary residences affected by this the January snow and ice storm in order to make a preliminary assessment of damages following a disaster. Detached garages and storage buildings, secondary homes and recreational homes should not to be reported. After filling out this form, click the “Submit” button. You may want to print this form before submitting via e-mail and keep it for your records.

• Your submission is not a guarantee of eligibility for assistance.
• Please note: it may 30 days or more to process your submission.
• Form for primary residences

Business:
The purpose of this form is to collect information of businesses affected by this incident in order to make a preliminary assessment of damages following a disaster. After filling out this form, click the “Submit” button. You may want to print this form before submitting via e-mail and keep it for your records.

• Your submission is not a guarantee of eligibility for assistance.
• Please note: it may take 30 days or more to process your submission.
• Form for businesses

Story by Scott Schaefer
Photos by Bob Seaton

On a windy Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 28), an 18-foot motorboat broke away from its mooring buoy off the north side of Burien’s Three Tree Point neighborhood and ended up getting slammed repeatedly against a concrete retaining wall before being rescued.

Nobody was on board at the time, and there were no injuries to humans.

However, the boat didn’t fare so well.

“It got pretty chewed up – both sides were damaged with heavy scarring and scraping from bow to stern,” said Capt. Nick Stivers of Vessel Assist, the company that rescued the boat. “Even the steel anchor roller was busted and bent.”

After breaking off its anchored buoy sometime in the afternoon, the unmanned vessel floated in to shore and came to rest against a concrete paving wall, where wind and waves battered it.

“These kind of rescue jobs are very common,” Stivers added. “It’s very typical, especially during transition periods between summer and fall when the wind comes – people aren’t always ready for when that first blow comes in, and sh*t happens.”

The good news out of all this? The boat never ‘turtled,’ or turned over, which Stivers said is common, and often causes much more damage.

“This particular boat was a Gig Harbor-produced Tiderunner that didn’t ‘turtle’,” Stivers said. “It just filled with water, so when we pulled it away from the scene, we just pumped the water out and towed it to CSR Marine in Des Moines. If it had turtled it would’ve cost a whole heck of a lot more to rescue.”

Stivers said the boat’s owner contacted Boat US, a AAA-style service for boats, and their dispatch center called him and he responded.

The boat apparently came loose after its rope frayed and broke from the mooring buoy. Waves some three to four feet high didn’t help matters.

“Ropes can fray pretty quickly in rough seas,” Stivers said. “Boat owners should be more aware of this.”

The cost to rescue a boat can be pretty high too – Stivers’ minimum day rate starts at $240 per hour, with a 4-hour average rescue time.

Area resident Bob Seaton shared these pics of the boat:

Amy and husband Michael have years of experience in the auto body repair business, and they are happy to help you out in speedy fashion whatever your needs.

“From door dings to collisions, we fix it all,” Michael and Amy point out. “We help reduce stress by assisting with insurance claims, too.”

“And we offer detailing,” Amy adds.

Amy and Michael were born and raised in Burien and attended Highline High School.

“My mom, Cathy Low, and her whole family grew up in Seahurst,” Amy informs us. Cathy helps out now and again at Vision Collision’s office when Amy needs to run the occasional errand.

“And my uncle is none other than Jim Hughes of Sal’s Deli, just off 152nd. I worked there for years,” Amy said.

Lucy is Vision Collision's official mascot.

Amy and Michael’s Border Collie, Lucy, can often be seen running around the office.

“Lucy loves to come to work.”

Lucy isn’t the only pet in Amy and Michael’s household. On their land southeast of Burien “we also have two horses, three goats, and a cat.”

So anyway, we at the Blog think you’ll enjoy yourself so much at Vision Collision that, even if your vehicle is already ding-free, you should just take a hammer to your hood and bang it up a bit so you’ll have an excuse to stop by (uh…just kidding on that part, but stop by anyway!).

But seriously, click on Vision Collision’s Ad in the right sidebar, check out their stuff, call or drop by and see what they can do to fix your dinged and dented vehicle up.

Here’s a video we produced for them when they first signed on with us:

Click here to view the embedded video.

They are conveniently located just west of Ambaum at 803 SW 154th:

Vision Collision
803 SW 154th Street (just west of Ambaum)
Burien WA 98166

HOURS: 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday

PHONE: 206-244-2758

EMAIL: info@visioncollision.net

WEB: http://visioncollision.net/

And remember their slogan: “See? You’re Dent Free!”

If you’ve suffered property damage from the recent rainstorms, flooding and/or landslides, the King County Department of Assessments wants you to know how you can get help.

“In light of the recent rainfall over the past weekend throughout King County – I wanted to forward along information on how to seek assistance for destroyed and damaged property for residents in the City of Burien,” said Communication and Outreach Coordinator Phillip Sit in an email.

If you’ve suffered any weather-related damage, you are asked to please contact the Department of Assessments at 206.296.7300.

If you own property in King County and wish to file a Destroyed Property claim, please fill out the King County Destroyed Property Form (.PDF).

Click here for additional information regarding property tax relief available to flood and storm victims.

For more information, check out the department’s website: http://www.kingcounty.gov/Assessor.aspx.

The combination of Monday’s snow followed by extremely low temps (our thermometer showed a low of 20 F overnight) with the knockout punch of some serious winds had a major impact on the Burien area, damaging waterfront homes, closing schools, plunging residents into darkness and much more.

(People like to name major storms, and since it started on Nov. 22nd, we’re proposing we call it the JFK Assassination Anniversary Storm. Others have tagged it snOMG. We’ll let you decide.)

We know there are many other problems in the area (email us pics and/or a blurb if you know of any), but here are some of the things we noticed:

• The combination of the wind and high tides took a major toll on waterfront homes on the north beaches of Three Tree Point. BTB Reader Kumi sent us this email:

I live on the water and this is the worst storm damage since 1990. We are talking about failed bulkheads, massive erosion, and debris everywhere. My neighbors 100-foot long seawall is leaning over, sewer pipes broken open, and the waves are still pounding away.  Besides the inflated property taxes there is always an extra price to pay living on the front lines of nature.  A neighbor friend of ours down the beach just had their windows professionally cleaned a few days ago, now they look like they are covered in sea snot.  Got to love mother nature.

• Three Tree Point residents Dane Johnson and Kathy Justin, known for spearheading the Burien Interim Art Space project and more (read about them here), had their house red-tagged due to the storm. Tuesday morning several friends, neighbors and strangers who read our call for help showed up to help haul their valuables out of the house, which is leaning towards the water (see Scott Schaefer’s pics below).
• Highline School District closed all their schools Tuesday, after first announcing a two-hour delay late Monday afternoon.
• Power went out in various parts of B-Town, with a major outage in the Three Tree Point neighborhood. At the satellite home office of the blog, we lost power just after 6pm Monday night, and didn’t get it back until around 8am Tuesday morning. This meant a night of burning firewood we so wisely bought last week, warm layers, lots of cuddling with the kids, and re-awakenings to re-stoke the fire. All in all we survived interior temps that dropped to 50 (we’re in an older house), and were ever-so-thankful when the lights went back on.
• Highline Community College closed its campus as well Tuesday.
• Metro Transit released a statement “urging people to stay home and off the roads if at all possible. Road conditions are dangerously icy, and abandoned vehicles still block roadways. About 14 Metro bus routes have been canceled this morning due to the travel conditions.” Just before Noon Tuesday they released this statement (more info here):

Route 121 and 131 are not operating on 1 Av S between SW 156 St & Marine View Dr in both directions. Use stops along Des Moines Memorial Dr or 8 Av S. Routes 121 & 131 are instead continuing eastbound on S 156 St,  southbound on Des Moines Memorial Dr, southbound on 8 Av S. eastbound on S 200 St, southbound on Desmoines Way Dr to its regular snow route  – Same route in reverse direction.  This is in addition to other reroutes that these two routes are on. Metro encourages anyone who can to avoid travel on Tuesday until conditions improve and jurisdictions can clear streets.  Thank you for your patience and for using Metro’s services. Travel safely.

• The Weather Service is predicting an overnight low of just 14 degrees Tuesday night. This is two degrees lower than the all-time record for the day of 16, set in 1985. The lowest recorded temperature on any date in Seattle was 0 degrees, on January 30, 1951.

Here are some pics of the storm damage that we’ve managed to find so far (again, email us yours if you have any):

Photo of damage to the waterfront of the north beach at Three Tree Point by Hal Middleton.

Photo of damage to the waterfront of the north beach at Three Tree Point by Hal Middleton.

Photo of damage to the waterfront of the north beach at Three Tree Point by Hal Middleton.

The City of Burien red-tagged Dane Johnson & Kathy Justin's home early Tuesday morning.

You can see why – the foundation of the house has slipped and it's leaning toward the water.

Apparently the rough seas eroded underneath the house, weakening the foundation.

Closeup view of the main entryway shows the damage done to the foundation by the storm.

An even closer view shows the gap between the house and foundation.

The view from the beach shows just how beat up the house was from Monday night's storm.

Photos by Scott Schaefer

UPDATE FRI. 3/19 2pm: Just got word from Sgt John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Department, who says that the suspect vehicle, “probably a white Honda Civic,” was found parked at a Burien apartment complex; no arrests have yet been made:

“Suspect vehicle (probably a white Honda Civic) struck a parked car(s), mailbox, wall etc. in the 3300 block of S. 172nd.

Car kept going.

We did find the unoccupied suspect car at a Burien apartment complex, but so far have made no arrests.”

PREVIOUSLY: A hit and run accident around dusk Thursday night (March 18) on SW 172nd in Burien’s Three Tree Point neighborhood caused extensive damage to a parked Toyota Corolla as well as destroying a protective wall outside a house.

“We were eating dinner and we heard this incredibly loud noise,” said Rachel, who lives in the house where the wall was damaged. “I was honestly afraid that someone was driving through the wall of our home.”

In addition to damaging the parked car and retaining wall, the suspect vehicle struck a mailbox before driving off. Witnesses reportedly took down a license plate number, and the police were called. Rachel said that it took Burien Police at least two hours to respond to the scene.

“I thought our neighbors were putting their garbage out,” said Terry Haigh, another neighbor. “But then I thought ‘man, they’ve sure got a lot of garbage’ because it was really loud.”

Debris was scattered throughout the street, and a trail could be seen where the suspect car, which was allegedly driving south, struck the parked Toyota, bounced off, hit a mailbox across the street, then drove off.

This isn’t the first accident for this neighborhood, according to Rachel. About a year and a half ago, a protective wall on the other side of their property was hit and destroyed in a similar accident. The street (SW 172nd) is narrower than most, as it is an historic beachfront road that dates back to the very early days of the neighborhood.

“We’ve lived here a couple of years, and cars frequently speed down this street,” Rachel added. “And there are usually kids, joggers, pets, families and people walking around. I’m concerned for the safety of the residents here.”

Here are some pics of the scene as shot by Scott Schaefer Friday morning:

This parked blue Toyota was hit first, and according to residents, would've ended up "going into" the house if it wasn't for the protective wall.

While we were on the scene, the owner of the damaged vehicle appeared to be on the phone talking with his insurance company.

Three Tree Point's SW 172nd is a narrow beachfront street with no sidewalks, and it's very popular for joggers, families, bikers and children.

This mailbox was the last thing hit before the suspect vehicle took off.

Click to View Jim Branson’s Photo Slideshow

What’s the deal B-Town peeps? Why are you being so destructive this summer?

Michael Lafreniere, Director of Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services reported Tuesday (July 14th) that three out of four of the “plinth” sculptures installed in Burien’s new Town Square Park just last month were vandalized and damaged over this past weekend.

These are the smaller, more whimsical metallic sculptures that are scattered around the park and mounted on cement pedestals.

Below are before and after photos:

BEFORE (“Hikers“):

AFTER:

BEFORE (“Bike“):

AFTER:

Elements of the sculptures appear to have been broken or sawed off.

The design, fabrication and installation of the sculptures had cost $30,000.

Burien Parks is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the persons responsible for this crime, and cash rewards of up to $1,000 are paid for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers immediately at (206) 343-2020 or toll free at 1-800-CRIME-13 and give the tip to police without giving his/her name.

This is the second act of vandalism in a Burien park within the last two weeks – as we reported previously, on June 28th vandals tagged the brand new picnic shelter at Seahurst Park.

“Staff tell me this is the worst they have ever seen in all their years with the city,” he adds. “And it will cost us several thousand dollars to clean it up. We are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the persons responsible for this crime.”

Here’s a slideshow of the damage, which includes closeups of graffiti tags and assorted words that may help identify the vandals:

Click to View Slideshow of Damages to Seahurst Park’s New Picnic Shelter

Cash rewards of up to $1,000 are paid for information leading to the arrest. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers immediately at (206) 343-2020 or toll free at 1 (800) CRIME-13 and give the tip to police without giving his/her name.

King County announced today that they’re offering assistance for property and business owners who suffered damages due to our recent winter weather.

Here’s the announcement in its entirety:

Property and business owners who had losses due to the recent winter weather may be eligible for assistance getting their property back in order. Eligibility is determined through a damage assessment process which takes into account total reported losses within King County.

Impacts of winter weather, such as snow load and flooding, may have resulted in individual property damages or business losses. King County homeowners and small business owners who have suffered damages from recent weather related conditions should file a damage report with King County Office of Emergency Management within the next two weeks.

A hotline number (800-523-5044) has been established for reporting damages within King County and is open during the following dates and times:

Dec. 29 – Dec. 31, 2008 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Jan. 5 – Jan. 9, 2008 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Before filing a damage report with OEM, citizens should contact their insurance company about existing coverage. They are also urged to document damages with photographs and keep records of all clean-up and repair costs.

In addition, business owners who have incurred weather-related economic losses should submit an Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program form to the Office of Emergency Management (fax# 206-205-4056). The form can be downloaded from the Washington Emergency Management Division’s website (http://emd.wa.gov/disaster/documents/EconomicInjuryWorksheetnew9-2007.pdf).

For more information, contact the Office of Emergency Management or visit the office website (http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/prepare.aspx).