Businesses come to the rescue after roofing snafu
When Michael and Crissy Troy arrived home last Tuesday afternoon, they were looking forward to a bit of relief after a hospital stay — as they say, “there’s no place like home.”
Instead, it reminded Crissy of another scene in the movie.
“It looked like the tornado hit from the Wizard of Oz,” she said.
That’s because when the Troys pulled into their driveway, they discovered their roof had been torn up with materials laying askew, which sent their minds racing.
When Michael spoke to his neighbor, they said they had seen a white van and workers at his home that morning, but that they had left. His neighbor figured they were simply getting roofing work done.
Fortunately for the Troys, local companies stepped up to the plate to give this Navy veteran a fix to this surprising and confusing situation.
The next morning, the Troys heard a knock at their door and figured it was a tarping company they had contacted about the home. Instead, it was Carl Nyberg of MWW Roofing and Reid Carner of ABC Supply wanting to help the husband and wife after seeing their story on the local news.
“They said, ‘Yeah, we saw about your story on the news and we want to help you out with your roof,'” Michael said. “I said that’s OK, I have a company coming. (Nyberg) says, ‘No you don’t understand, we want to do this for free.’ And it set me back.”
Oddly enough, Nyberg drove by the Troy’s home the previous day while driving to a job and noticed the unattended materials. It wasn’t until he saw the news later that night and the next morning that he put two and two together.
What really raised a red flag in Nyberg’s mind was the impeding storms headed Southwest Florida’s way, expected to arrive that Thursday.
“I thought, ‘That poor guy is in trouble,'” Nyberg said. “I wasn’t going to watch him lose his house.”
Nyberg told the Troys he would be supplying the labor, while ABC would donate the materials needed.
That same day, Nyberg’s crew came out and started working on the Troy’s roof.
“I just about broke down,” Michael said of his feelings when Nyberg said he would take care of his roof free of charge. “It’s unbelievable.”
The crew at MWW Roofing cleared what Nyberg called “a mess” and made sure it was safe from water damage, as Nyberg was unsure they would be able to return the next day to finish the work before the storm. This way, his home at least would be saved from irreparable water damage.
Despite being wary of having his crew return the next day, they were there at 10:30 a.m. and finished the job through high winds Thursday morning.
“Thank God for Carl, because he’s the one who pushed to get it done before the storm,” Crissy said. “They worked hard.”
The Troys are at a loss for words how virtual strangers would be willing to take care of the job at no cost.
“He didn’t know me from a hole in the wall,” Michael said. “All kinds of people stepped forward to help me, which I thought was fantastic.”
Nyberg said he lent a helping hand because it’s in his nature, not for publicity or anything of the sort.
“I wanted to help them out,” Nyberg said. “Michael is a veteran and I would have honestly done something for anyone. I feel good about being able to help them out.
“I like helping people. I always have. I didn’t want to see him lose his home and I felt it was the right thing to do. Michael is a super nice guy. We enjoyed the work. It was rewarding.”
Nyberg said he is contemplating taking on a similar project each year to help a veteran in need.
For the Troys, Cape Coral is still fairly new to them, as they moved from the Boston area just two years ago. They feel the decision, even now more than ever, was a good one.
“We made the right choice in retiring down here,” Michael said. “Just the overwhelming support for the community has been crazy. I don’t know that many people here and I definitely didn’t know anyone who stepped up to help me with this.”
Crissy agreed.
“It was pretty awesome the way everyone came together,” she said. “We were overwhelmed by the outpouring from everyone that wanted to help.”
Michael did file a police report on the matter.
To his dismay, surveillance tapes from the Young Explorers Early Learning Center across the street do not have a view of his home.
Michael is hopeful someone will come forward and claim responsibility.
“(To) the person who did it — everybody makes mistakes,” Michael said. “All the perfect people in the world are dead, they’re in the cemetery, they’re not going to make another mistake. Just own up to it.
“If Carl and ABC didn’t step forward, we wouldn’t be here now. The house would have been condemned.”
To add a cherry on top, Tom Wilson at Gutter Pro will be at the Troy’s home early next week to install brand new, high-end gutters, free of charge, with ABC once again supplying the materials.
The Troys did not have gutters on their home previously.
Crissy is happy she will now has something to hang her Christmas lights from.