A selectman said an elderly couple was taken for $1,200 by men who promised to remove fallen trees and failed to do it.
MONSON – Fire Chief George L. Robichaud said the recovery effort is being hampered by people driving into town to glimpse the rampant destruction from Wednesday’s tornado.
“It’s been horrendous. They have hampered our efforts in our response . . . They are purely here just to gawk and see what’s going on,” Robichaud said on Saturday. “It’s a big deterrent to our success.”
Robichaud said they have stopped people to find out where they are from, and why they are in Monson. Many have said they were in town specifically to see the tornado aftermath. He called the number of out-of-state cars “incredible.”
Officials said at a community meeting Friday that those who do not have direct business in town should stay out.
Meanwhile, there have been three looting incidents. One was on Stewart Avenue, a neighborhood obliterated by the twister. An elderly woman on nearby Bethany Road – another hard hit area – died Thursday of an apparent heart attack brought on by the storm, officials said.
Selectman Edward A. Maia said information for residents is being posted on the town website at www.monson-ma.gov. The latest message is about trash pickup, which will resume Monday only on roads that are accessible.
Electronic signboards also are being used, and the damaged First Church of Monson on High Street is being used as a meeting place for people who need food or information. Those interested in volunteering also are encouraged to go there.
Starting on Monday, he said the town offices will operate out of the former Hillside School on Thompson Street. The Town Office Building on Main Street downtown had part of its roof and walls ripped off in the tornado, displacing town offices and the police, who were on the bottom floor.
Maia said Saturday was spent removing critical records from the building.
The Police Department will operate from temporary trailers in the Town Office Building parking lot.
All three schools were not affected and will be open for staff only starting Monday. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., adjustment and grief counselors will be available for residents and students, according to Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne. Forms will be available for displaced residents to fill out regarding bus pickup for students, if they are staying somewhere else in town.
“It is our hope that come Tuesday, we can start to reestablish a normal schedule for the schools, but it depends entirely on our ability to get around town,” Dardenne said.
By dinnertime Monday, the plan for Tuesday will be known, Dardenne said. The graduation ceremony has been rescheduled to Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Granite Valley Middle School. It was supposed to be held June 3.
Maia commended the First Church, saying it has “really stepped up to the plate and really defines the word community.” A community meal will be held Sunday night at 5 p.m. there.
While the tornado has brought out the best in some people, others are trying to prey on the victims. Maia said people need to be wary of scam artists. An elderly couple with downed trees on their property paid $1,200 to some men to remove them, but the group left for lunch and never returned. Maia said residents need to check licenses of those who will perform work, get signed contracts, and should hold off on paying until work is completed.
The Building Department will be open Monday at Hillside to help residents with cleanup questions, he said.
Maia said he has heard that people are collecting money to help residents, but said this is not part of a town effort, and people need to be careful. Anyone wishing to make donations can do so at any Monson Savings Bank branch. Monson Savings Bank has set up a fund to help rebuild Monson, and has contributed $5,000.
People can also write a check made out to the Monson Savings Bank Tornado Assistance Fund and mail it to Monson Savings Bank Tornado Assistance Fund, Monson Savings Bank, 107 Main St., Monson, MA, 01057. The bank’s mortgage and commercial customers should contact the Loan Center at (413) 267-4513 if they have short term financial needs as a result of the recent tornado damage, the bank stated in a press release.
More information about what’s happening in Monson can be found on the Facebook page “Monson tornado watch 2011.”