FERRIS, Westmoreland — No insurance agency would touch O’Dane McDowell’s “high-risk operation”, a combined gas station and block factory he named Bricks & Blocks Depot and Ferris Service Station.

When Hurricane Melissa struck last October, his main transportation for the business, his truck, became the resting place for a big tree which destroyed the vehicle’s cab. Half his house was left roofless. His gas station canopy was ripped away, gas pumps needed replacement, his block factory was flattened, and his staff was left struggling and homeless. McDowell faced a stark choice:Ppermanently shut the doors to his business place in Ferris, Westmoreland, or rebuild from scratch.

Quitting was never really an option, though.