When Bad Weather Is Good for Business

More work, more money for repair crews

Rich Woodward's neighbor told him to walk outside his Pine Grove Way home in west San Jose. He was shocked at what he saw.

'We came out and this is what we find, a 15- to 18-foot bush," Woodward said.

The overnight winds sent the huge bush tumbling over the family car in the driveway. It blocked the entrance to the garage. Now, no one in the Woodward family could drive to work.

So Woodward called Aly's Tree Trimming, and for $600, the mess was cleaned but now Woodward is out that money, but it's a huge profit for the trimmers, as they get to charge the "emergency" rate.

"We get a lot more calls when it's an emergency like this," said worker Jimmy Smith.

Once the crew pulled all the debris off his car, Woodward found there was some damage to the hood of his car.

That means another storm-related expense, a trip to the body shop.

Repair workers at Michael and Company in San Jose were already busy with the overnight increase in work orders.

They showed us one car with a broken bumper that came in from a morning accident, an accident that will cost the driver at least $2,000.

"(It) means business for us," said shop worker Lynn Lindsey. "We get a lot of business during the storms."

Back on Pine Grove Way, it's still unclear if Rich Woodward's insurance will cover the damage. But either way, Aly's Tree Trimming is "cleaning up."

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