by Mike Morgan
Staff Writer
WHITE BEAR LAKE — In the days after a deadly tornado ripped through town, Hugo officials and residents made significant strides in cleaning up, as a family grieved the loss of their 2 year old and others were left to literally pick up the pieces.
Countless volunteers, from local residents to representatives of national relief organizations to public servants, have offered an outpouring of support and help for victims.
At last count, 27 homes in the Waters Edge and Creekview Preserve neighborhoods west of Highway 61 in northern Hugo were decimated in the storm, which the National Weather Service categorized as an "EF3" that caused winds of up to 165 m.p.h.
According to the Red Cross, 61 homes were destroyed or sustained major damage and over 700 were affected in minor ways. Personal property damage has been estimated at $25 million.
"The kindness and generosity being shown by so many people is overwhelming and very much appreciated," City Administrator Mike Ericson said.
Three people remain hospitalized, including the father and sister of Nathaniel Prindle, a 2-year-old boy who was killed in the storm.
Another woman died, of an apparent heart attack died May 24 while cleaning up her tornado-damaged home. The victim, a Fridley firefighter, was in her 50s or 60s, according to the Associated Press.
Her identity was being held until family members were notified, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Though residents of 150 to 200 homes in the neighborhood were temporarily evacuated on May 25, the majority were allowed to return home by May 29. Some 34 homes were red-tagged by building inspectors as uninhabitable, however.
Ericson said city officials and residents believe it’s miraculous more people were not seriously injured or killed, and credits the fast response time of emergency workers and the eagerness of neighbors to help during the storm’s immediate aftermath.
Families who lived in homes the twister destroyed are beginning to get a sense of what the tragedy means for their future.
"There’s nothing left," Marcel Linders said of his home. "I’m just starting to realize how long this process is going to be."
Linders, who lived next door to the Prindle family, was at home with his stepdaughter and her friend when the storm hit. All three ended up buried in debris in Linder’s basement and were helped free by neighbors.
"It puts in perspective how much people care," he said of his neighbors’ rush to help.
Linders, staying at a friend’s house, spent the week working to clean up the rubble of his house and is using a real estate agent to find a rental property for his family, he said.
The Salvation Army is supplying food and coordinating shelter for many who were displaced by the storm, the strongest in the area in half a century.
"It was as horrific as anything I’ve ever seen in my life," Ericson said of the twister’s aftermath.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and others, including Sen. Norm Coleman and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, toured the area May 26 shortly after the Hugo City Council declared the area a state of emergency.
At press time, the amount of state and/or federal aid available to help pay for the damage had not been determined. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Administration surveyed the area last week.
Pawlenty cautioned that the local disaster may not qualify for FEMA assistance because most of the damage was to private residences that are typically covered by homeowner’s insurance.
Nine municipalities involving some 250 workers were called to help in the aftermath of the storm, which took place just after 5 p.m. Sunday. Though Oneka Elementary School near the two neighborhoods had served as headquarters for Red Cross and Salvation Army assistance on May 26 and 27, regular school classes resumed on the 28th and the new headquarters was designated as Hugo City Hall.
Other nearby homes and businesses, including several east of US-61, also sustained damage, though not as severe.
Many houses and vehicles, including several in Centerville, were damaged by a strong hailstorm some 20 minutes after the tornado passed through. The hailstones ranged from walnut-sized to some the size of tennis balls, residents reported.
Ericson said the city’s emergency storm warning system was triggered at about 5 p.m., alerting area residences to the approaching storm. Shortly afterward, he said, Public Works Director Chris Petree called him at his home in Maplewood to tell him that the second story of his (Petree’s) home had been torn off by the winds.
Ericson said he knew the devastation had to be "very, very severe" by the number of emergency vehicles he saw as he drove to Hugo from Maplewood.
Around that time, he had to pull his car over to seek shelter from the severe hail. In some places, the hail reportedly broke windows. Ericson said it caused damage to many city-owned vehicles that had just been pulled out for use.
When the storm subsided, Ericson drove on to survey the nearby neighborhoods.
"I knew how badly things were destroyed by the looks on people’s faces — disbelief and horror," he said.
Ericson noted that city personnel has been prepared for such a disaster through training completed through the state’s Emergency Operations Plan.
"Thank the Lord we had that training," he said.
A 120-year-old barn on Homestead Avenue North was moved about a foot off its foundation, while the adjacent home was subject to roof damage and several broken windows.
Several area businesses have already volunteered to provide services for the displaced.
Residents still needing assistance should call City Hall at 651-762-6300: or see accompanying stories more information.
A relief fund has been set up at U.S. Bank in Hugo. Ericson said Hugo Councilwoman Becky Petryk is forming a committee to determine how donations will be distributed.
As for clean-up, an event over the weekend attracted more than 1,000 volunteers who were bussed into town from the Washington County Service Center in Forest Lake.
Ericson said there will likely be another such volunteer event in coming weeks. More information is available to residents at www.ci.hugo.mn.us.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น