County Gives $62,000 to Landslide Victims

Stafford, Va. — A month after a landslide swallowed their backyard and Stafford County officials condemned their homes, the O’Leary and Barnes’ families were told today that the County Board of Supervisors has approved releasing $62,000 from a developer security bond to be used to support site stabilization, remediation and repair efforts. The Board voted to approve this measure in a closed-door meetings and following legal counsel between all parties.

“We feel the County is really trying to help us,” stated Dan O’Leary, one of the homeowners. “We are thankful that this bond money can be used to help offset the costs of stabilizing our homes and to help us work towards restoration.”

Although the cost to repair the landslide will likely run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, this money, along with the funds raised by the local community is adding up. Ebenezer Church continues to collect money for the families in a special fund established the week following the disaster.

As of now, this is the only hope the families have of raising enough money to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars these repairs will likely cost. Approximately $40,000 has been donated in a community-wide effort and additional fund raising activities are being planned by several groups within the community.

Both families are insured by USAA homeowners’ policies and that company continues to claim that a landslide event is not a covered loss. Attempts to get official letters from USAA citing specific language related to the reasons this loss is not covered have not been answered by USAA claims representatives thus far.

Attempts by the families to meet with the Austin Ridge developer, Richard Wolff, CEO of Geo H. Rucker Realty Corporation have been denied. Wolf had repaired two previous landslides of less magnitude on these properties previously, but is unwilling to meet with the families and answer questions following this devastating and very costly land failure.

The families have also gone through a process required to request relief assistance from the Virginia Disaster Relief Fund established by Governor McDonnell earlier this year. Unfortunately, the Governor has also, thus far, refused to make funds available to assist the families.

“The way we are dealing with the enormous costs, unanswered questions and uncertainty of what lies ahead is through our faith and by the generosity and kindness we’ve experienced from our family, friends, church and people we don’t even know in our local community,” stated Michele O’Leary.

-Press release