No estimates have been provided for the total cost of the storms, but Sen. John Kerry said he expects the figure will be astronomical. Watch video
SPRINGFIELD – The number of dead rose to three from Wednesday’s tornadoes as a dozen-storm ravaged communities launched recovery efforts and Massachusetts congressional delegation appealed to the White House for disaster relief.
In a letter to President Obama, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and six delegation members called for a presidential disaster declaration needed to steer millions in federal aid to homeowners and businesses in central and Western Massachusetts.
The appeal came 18 hours after Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency after two late-afternoon tornadoes rained destruction on a dozen communities from Westfield to Sturbridge.
A third death - involving a West Springfield mother killed while shielding her 15-year old daughter in a bathtub - was confirmed Thursday, in addition to a West Springfield motorist crushed by a tree and woman camping in Brimfield.
Area hospitals treated about 80 patients suffering from minor injuries to lightning strikes and trauma; at Baystate Medical Center, two required surgery and a third, an assistant district attorney, remains in serious condition after being struck by debris.
No estimates have been provided for the total cost of the storms, but Kerry said he expects the figure will be astronomical.
“I don’t think there’s any question we’re in the tens of millions. Where it goes from there it’s too early to tell. But the bottom line is: I think help will be there,” Kerry said while touring Monson with Patrick and other elected officials.
Berkshire Bank announced it will match all donations to the American Red Cross up to $10,000. The bank’s Springfield and East Longmeadow branches will reopen Friday after being closed Thursday, bank officials announced.
Power outages remained a problem, with 22,000 National Grid customers in Brimfield, Monson and surrounding communities waiting for electricity to return; 13,306 Western Massachusetts Electric customers, mostly in Springfield’s Sixteen Acres and East Forest Park neighborhoods, were also without power Thursday night, down from 17,000 immediately after the storms.
Power should be restored to Western Massachusetts Electric customers by the weekend, said spokesman Frank J. Poirot.
Marcy L. Reed, president of National Grid, Massachusetts, said that workers have been on the job non-stop to restore electricity after tornadoes swept into the region Wednesday night causing widespread devastation.
She said 72 percent of Monson is without power.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by these devastating storms, especially the families of the four people who lost their lives yesterday,” Reed said.
She cautioned that people who are using generators should place them outside.
As the scope of the storm damage became apparent Thursday, communities turned to emergency workers, to government agencies and each other for help in rebuilding.
In Springfield, the city opened shelters for displaced and homeless people on Thursday at the Greenleaf Community Center on Parker Street in Sixteen Acres, and at Central High School on Roosevelt Avenue.
Approximately 210 people stayed at the MassMutual Center Wednesday night, and were being aided by the American Red Cross and others, said Thomas T. Walsh, the city’s communications director. They were being moved to the new shelters, with transportation provided by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.
Cathedral High School, left heavily damaged by the tornado, has rescheduled its graduation and two other events, with all events moved to next week.
The Cathedral graduation exercises will be June 10 at 6 p.m., at St. Michael’s Cathedral on State Street in Springfield.
Cathedral’s Class Night ceremonies will be June 8, at 7 p.m., at Veritas Auditorium, Elms College, in Chicopee. A Baccalaureate Mass will be Thursday, at 7 p.m., at St. Michael’s Cathedral.
Alan J. Ingram, superintendent of the Springfield public schools, said that two elementary schools were too heavily damaged to reopen this school year.
Ingram said Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School at 190 Surrey Road and Elias Brookings School at 367 Hancock Street will not be able to reopen.
All other public schools should reopen the beginning of next week, Ingram said.
Ingram said students in kindergarten through grade 5 from Dryden School will be transferred to the Harris School and students in kindergarten through grade 2 from Brookings School will be transferred to Boland School and students in grades 3, 4 and 5 from Brookings School will be transferred to Rebecca Johnson School
City, state and federal emergency personnel, meanwhile, have “pretty much” completed their primary search for injured or trapped victims and have begun a more thorough secondary search, Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said.
“We are pretty confident that after the first search that anybody that has been injured has been found,” Leger said.
Delaney said emergency response is being hampered by gawkers coming in from out of the city. “We are telling people to stay out of the area,” he said. “If you want to see devastation it’s going to be there for weeks.”
Delaney said neighbors should help neighbors as emergency personnel continue to clear the streets. “We are clearing the streets first, the houses are secondary,” he said.
Delaney said literally hundreds of building have been damaged throughout the city and numerous streets remain closed.
Leger said the collapse or re-collapse of damaged structures has been a concern for emergency personnel. “If it looks really shaky, they are sending in dogs, if it doesn’t they are sending in people,” Leger said.
Leger stressed that residents clearing off their properties need to be aware of their surroundings. “Don’t touch the wires, people need to be very cautious about that,” Leger said. “This is when people get hurt, after the fact.”
Leger said he knows of several instances on Thursday of people getting injured by falling limbs and collapsing buildings.
All off-duty police personnel were called to duty Wednesday night and the officers, working in teams of six to 12, literally went house to house searching for the trapped and injured, Delaney said.
“We had people trapped in their cellars, people trapped in their cars,” Delaney said.
A number of neighborhoods were impassable by vehicle and the officers had to go on foot. “Literally, police officers could not get to East Forest Park because every avenue was blocked off by trees and downed lines,” Delaney said.
Police had to gain access to the East Forest Park neighborhood through East Longmeadow, Delaney said.
Delaney said emergency personnel set up a command post last night in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame parking lot.
“They turned over their building last night and we had use of their offices and telephone banks and computers,” Delaney said.
City police and firefighters, numerous other fire departments, members of the state police and the National Guard are operating out of the Hall of Fame parking lot, Delaney said.
Emergency response is being bolstered by fire departments from across the state. “Every fire department in the state is represented in Springfield today,” Delaney said.
Staff reporter George Graham contributed to this report