Chester County couple Brooke and Glen Henderson are still fighting their insurer eight months after Hurricane Ida destroyed $80,000 worth of hemp drying in their Cochranville basement, writes Bob Fernandez for the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The couple had harvested 340 pounds of hemp crop a few days before the storm hit. After the heavy rainfall began, the Hendersons’ overwhelmed septic system poured hundreds of gallons of sewage into their basement, contaminating the hemp in the drying bins. 

“I had just lost everything,” said Brooke. “I was working and crying for days.” 

The couple was forced to burn all the crops on the four-acre property. 

They estimated that the total damage from the hurricane was around $198,000, including the $80,000 in hemp damage. However, Donegal Mutual Insurance Group cut their claim to $105,000 and has only paid $25,600 so far. 

The insurance firm said that, based on policy provisions on business income, it was only obligated to pay $10,000 of the just-harvested crop, leaving the Hendersons with a $70,000 loss. 

The couple sued Donegal in January in Chester County Common Pleas Court after the company’s continuous requests for information and inspections. 

Read more about Brooke and Glen Henderson in the Philadelphia Inquirer.