Tooele woman looking to raise money after powerful winds rip half her roof off house

Tooele, Utah — Hollie Hochhaus received a message from a neighbor while being at work Friday: a photo of her house, showing half the roof ripped off her house.

“Winds like this are common,” she said. “They’re really common out here. I was just really unlucky this day.”

The single mother had bought this house not even two years ago. “It didn’t show any signs of lifting, so I didn’t think that was going to be an issue,” said Hochhaus. “I thought it was pretty secure.”

According to Hochhaus, an insurance agent told Hochhaus at that time, that the house wouldn’t qualify for insurance.

“He told me that with the age that it is, that it’s not insurable,” she said. “So I went with that, and I was like, ‘I need to do everything I can to make sure I don’t have an incident, make sure this house is taken care of.’”

Hochhaus will have to pay for a new roof completely out of pocket. She’s asking the community if they’ll help her out and has created a GoFundMe that people can donate to. “I try to do what I can to give to other people,” said Hochhaus. “I just hope I’m deserving. I don’t know if I am.”