Rivera lost her home in 1985 in a fire that engulfed the house and took the life of her three young daughters.
Springfield - Anita Rivera stands outside her home on 17 Beech St. Rivera was one of the many residents whose homes were destroyed by the June 1 tornadoes.SPRINGFIELD – As she looked at her crumbling house on 17 Beech St. Anita Rivera wondered how this could happen to her again.
“I feel like I have been struck by lighting twice. How could this happen?” she said.
Rivera lost her home in 1985 in a fire that engulfed the house and took the life of her three young daughters.
“Of course this doesn’t compare to the loss I experienced back then, but to have my house taken from me again is unbelievable,” she said.
Rivera, a local Puerto Rican radio personality and founder of El Pueblo Latino, The Republican’s weekly Spanish publication, was horrified when she pulled onto her street Wednesday afternoon and realized her home was falling apart.
“I took pride in my home. There were big red rose bushes along the front and I was saving up to get new windows,” she said.
Rivera purchased the home eight years ago. She spent every summer rehabilitating the outdoors. She is just one of many residents on the street who have had their house completely leveled or destroyed by the tornadoes that hit the city on June 1.
“I feel like I’m living in a nightmare,” she said.
During an interview with Rivera dozens of neighbors stopped by her home to greet her or offer their assistance. Some came to ask for food or beverages, which she had stowed away in the trunk of her car.
“We have to work together as a community and help each other,” she said.
“Everybody knows her here,” said Anselmo Ramos, a fellow resident of Beech St. who’s home was also devastated by the tornado.
“She helped me find this place to live,” he said.
Springfield - Anita Rivera points towards the damage on Beech Street caused by the June 1 tornadoes. Rivera's home on 17 Beech St. was destroyed by one of the three tornados.Rivera tries to keep a positive outlook about the situation, but she said she is still finding it hard to believe.
“I just can’t comprehend it,” she said. Rivera is currently staying with her daughter in the Plainfield Street area until the insurance company comes to take a look at the house.
“I have to pick up the pieces. I don’t know how, but I just have to take it one step at a time,” she said.
Rivera said she is thankful that no one was severely hurt in the neighborhood and that her dogs Jeanie, Iris and Moyo and her cat Mishu are safe and sound.
The two story , one-family house is currently uninhabitable. Shards of glass are everywhere, a porch beam flew across the street and an enclosed porch on the second floor is starting to detach from the house.
“It’s barely standing. I put so much work into this house and it was really beautiful. I don’t know how, but with the help of God and my friends and loved ones I know I will be fine,” she said.
Note: The following is a list of information and shelter locations for our Spanish-speaking readers.
Asistencia:
Refugios:
Central High School, Roosevelt Ave., Springfield
Greenleaf Community Center, Parker Street, Springfield
Birchland Park Middle School, 50 Hanward Hill, East Longmeadow
Converse Middle School, 24 Converse St., Palmer
Powder Mill School, 94 Powder Mill Rd, Brimfield
Para información sobre ayudas disponible:
New North Citizens Council (413) 747-0090
La Cruz Roja Americana:
1 (800) 733-2767
Para ser voluntario: United Way of Pioneer Valley (413) 693-0201
Centro de de información municipal bilingüe: (413) 736-3111