Community rallies to help Beaufort veteran whose home was crushed by tree
The tree that came crashing through Raymond Paige's home in Beaufort last week was removed Wednesday morning as businesses and residents mobilized to help the disabled Army veteran.
Lather Construction removed the tree resting atop Paige's home Wednesday morning, and the American Red Cross extended his hotel stay. Other local organizations are working to connect him with resources such as temporary housing and financial assistance.
Paige, who does not have homeowner's insurance to help pay for repairs and couldn't afford to have the tree removed both before or after its collapse, had expected his final day in the hotel to be Tuesday, he said.
Paige, 60, was in bed at 1 a.m. Friday when the large tree, estimated to be over 150 years old, came crashing through his living room. He was unhurt, but the damage forced him out of his home of 27 years.
Around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, a Lather Construction crew used a front-end loader to remove the large tree trunk atop Paige's home on Southside Boulevard, operations manager Sean Higgs said.
Higgs said a Lather superintendent lives near Paige and met with him Tuesday night. Lather brought heavy machinery from a nearby job site to remove the trunk from the house. It also cut up the trunk of another tree that fell in the yard about a week before Friday's storm.
Several other organizations are collaborating to assist Paige, including the Military and Veterans Service Alliance, according to Jeanne Carmichael, American Red Cross service to the armed forces manager.
One80 Place of Charleston, which helps homeless veterans, will assess Paige's situation and help find temporary housing for him, Carmichael said. The organization can help Paige because the tree's collapse effectively made him homeless, she said.
Until temporary housing is found, the Red Cross will continue to provide lodging for him at an area hotel, Carmichael said.
Paige said Wednesday he had heard from several other organizations, some offering to help rebuild his home and others willing to donate furnishings when needed. One group, motorcycle club Bikers Against Bullies, stopped by his home and told him it would hold a collection at its meeting this week, Paige said.
"I feel great about this," he said. "When you worry about a lot of things, it really wears down on you. I feel so much better. I feel so grateful and so thankful that people are helping me."
Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
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- Massive tree splits Beaufort house leaving owner homeless , July 7, 2015
This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Community rallies to help Beaufort veteran whose home was crushed by tree."