Damage claim totals so far are for just residential properties. When automobile and business claims are added, the total damage cost is expected to soar.
SPRINGFIELD - The initial batch of insurance claims filed so far resulting from last week’s tornadoes cover 5,000 homes and tally about $90 million, but both of those numbers are expected to grow, officials said.
Barbara T. Anthony, state undersecretary of housing and economic development, that damage claims will only increase over the next few weeks and months as more damage is uncovered and more claims are filed.
Also the numbers so far do not include any claims or damage estimates for automobiles or commercial properties, she said.
As Hampden County communities continue to regroup from the June 1 tornadoes and begin addressing the vast amount of damage that needs addressing, communities are beginning to get a better understanding of the scope of the damage.
In Springfield, more than 40 buildings have been demolished and another 200 residential and business buildings have been marked condemned as of Tuesday morning, said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.
Among the damaged buildings were 36 Springfield Housing Authority apartments.
Tina Brooks, state undersecretary of housing and community development, said the authority has set a priority of helping those affected to find new apartments by providing security deposits and a first month’s and last month’s rent.
Brooks, visiting Springfield on Tuesday, said, “If all their money is tied up in the last apartment, how can they get another security deposit?”
In Brimfield, roughly 10 percent of homes sustained at least significant damage, according to Building Commissioner Harold P. Leaming. He said that so far 39 homes were considered uninhabitable and 18 had limited access to do the amount of damage. Another 89 were damaged although not as severely, he said.
Those numbers could go higher as inspections continue, he said.
In Monson, 51 homes were destroyed and another 67 considered heavily damaged, according to officials.
In Wilbraham, building inspector Lance Trevallion said he found 13 of the 234 homes he inspected to be considered unsafe for habitation. Areas most affected appear to be along Tinkham Road, Glendale Road, Beebe Road, Brookside Circle and Evangeline Drive.
Westfield Emergency Management Director Jimmy D. Wiggs said he found 257 homes that were damaged to varying degrees in the tornado. He said he found that three sustained extensive damage, including one on Shaker Road that had a piece of tree through its roof.
Most houses received broken window or damaged roofs. The Munger Hill School on Mallard Lane also lost a 20-foot section of roof.
Anthony encouraged anyone having problems with an insurer to fall the Division of Insurance hotline at (617) 521-7777 or visit one of the tornado assistance centers in Springfield, Palmer and Southbridge.
In comparison, tornado damage sustained by southern states on April 22-28 caused loses of between $3.7 billion to $5.5 billion, according to AIR Worldwide of Boston.
The midwestern tornadoes from May 20 to 27, including the killer storm that devastated Joplin, Mo., totaled between $4 billion and $7 billion.
AIR’s estimates for the Springfield storm will not be available for weeks, said spokesman Kevin Long.
Sarno said it is up to individual property owners and their insurance companies to determine whether condemned buildings can or should be repaired economically or will have to be torn down.
Sarno said he’s hoping that funding for the preservation of historic buildings can be used to save the South End Community Center, which was badly damaged by high winds. The building was once the Howard Street Armory.
Damage in the Maple-Hill Historic District presents a problem for the city Historical Commission. Chairman Ralph Slate is asking those who live in the area to inform the commission of repairs taking place.
State law allows for the repair or reconstruction of a building damaged by natural disaster without the need to wait for and appear at a Historical Commission meeting. The homeowner simply needs to inform the commission of what repairs are taking place, he said.
View full sizeThe path of the tornado through Springfield.Permanent demolition within the district does not fall within this exception.
The commission can also write a letter to a homeowner’s insurance company to let the firm know that the property is within a historic district, and what the district guidelines require.
The commission, in partnership with the Springfield Preservation Trust, is in contact with the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Preservation to investigate the possibility of programs designed specifically to help repair historic houses after a disaster.
For any questions, contact the commission through the Springfield Office of Planning and Economic Development at (413) 787-6020.
Federal Emergency Management Agency has staff in the region collecting data that could result in a federal disaster declaration.
A disaster declaration could result in enhanced unemployment benefits for those who are out of work due to storm damage. The state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development is also asking those who are unemployed or who are self-employed who either lived, worked or were scheduled to work in a storm-damaged area to call 1-877-626-6800, or 617-626-6800.
Anthony, speaking at a City Hall news conference, said homeowners should be wary of hiring out-of-state contractors who are not registered or licensed to work in Massachusetts.
People can check registrations at
She also told homeowners to always have their contractor pull the permit. Never sign for a permit yourself.
That will allow consumers to seek reimbursement from the state guarantee fund if the work is not done satisfactorily. But the state’s arbitration process and guarantee fund is only open to consumers who use state-registered and state-licensed contractors. That state arbitration process is not a viable option if the homeowners sign for permits themselves.
“If you go with an out-of-state or fly-by-night contractor we cannot help you,” Anthony said.
She said consumers have three days to change their minds after signing a home improvement contract and shouldn’t knuckle under to high-pressure tactics. Also, no contractor can ask for a down payment larger than one-third of the total cost unless special-order materials are needed.
There have not been a large number of consumer complaints related to contractors or insurers yet, Anthony said. But she expects calls to increase in as the recovery process continues.
The cleanup from the storm continues throughout the region, as workers removed downed limbs, restored downed lines, and began making repairs to damaged homes.
While workers continued clearing debris from Springfield’s South End neighborhood, one of the neighborhood’s landmark restaurants announced plans to reopen this morning after being closed for a week.
Rita Caputo-Capua, manager of Red Rose Pizzeria, said it will reopen for business with its pre-tornado business hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The reopening comes as the city has been clearing businesses in the heavily hit area to reopen after damaged buildings were stabilized and nearby streets were cleared.
Photo of storm damage to the front door of Red Rose on Main Street in Springfield's South End.Caputo-Capua said Red Rose has replaced broken windows and repaired a damaged heating and air conditioning units.
“I would like to thank our customers for their concern and their phone calls with offers to help us,” she said.
She also thanked Sarno for providing a strong security presence in the aftermath of the storm. “The Springfield Police did a fantastic job,” she said.
Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, will give a tour of damaged South end areas Wednesday morning to Barbara Fields, the New England Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Fields, as one of 10 regional administrators in the United States, serves a as a go-between between members of Congress and municipal leaders, business and non-profit leaders and residents.
Neal said that as the recovery continues in Springfield and the surrounding communities continues, HUD will play a critical role addressing housing rehabilitation and community development needs.
Also today, Gov. Deval L. Patrick returns to Springfield. This time, the governor is expected to take part in a 6 p.m. interfaith prayer service at Christ Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St. The service is sponsored by the Council of Churches of Greater Springfield.
Also at 6 p.m., at the Milton Bradley School, 22 Mulberry St., Sarno, Ward 3 City Councilor Melvin Edwards and Springfield state representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera are hosting an information session for owners of storm-damaged property.
The session for residential property owners will be from 6 to 7 p.m., while the session for business owners will be from 7to 8 p.m.
Springfield Department of Public Works is reminding residents with municipal trash collection to place tree limbs and small movable construction debris curbside for eventual pickup.
Residents can haul any branches, limbs and yard waste to Bondi’s Island Landfill for free. The landfill is open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., and on Saturday from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
City residents with large building materials can bring it to the McNamara transfer station on Rose Street in East Springfield, where it may be disposed of for a fee.
The City will continue to pickup small movable construction debris from the curbside.
Also, the city is delivering plywood to neighborhoods with damage. It can be used to seal broken windows or patch holes in the roof. People needing plywood delivered can contact the city’s call center at 3-1-1 or (413) 736-3111.
In Westfield, Wiggs said that so far the volume of downed trees and limbs that have been removed so far totaled more than 80,000 cubic yards of wood chips.
Meanwhile, two city residents were arrested and charged with breaking into and stealing items from a storm-damaged house in Six Corners that had been boarded up.
Luis Miguel Madera-Serrano, 18, of 700 State St., and co-defendant Geraldo Gonzalez are charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and with larceny.
Madera-Serrano pleaded innocent Tuesday in District Court and was released on his own recognizance. Details on Gonzalez’ case were not immediately available.
The owner of the house said Tuesday that she and her family have been victimized twice, once by the tornado and then by looters.
The woman, who asked that her name not be disclosed, said “I’m just really terrified.”
She said her fiancee, herself and the three children in the family, ages one, eight and 10, had just moved into the single-family home that the couple recently purchased.
They hid in the basement during the tornado, but had to leave the house afterward because emergency workers said there was a gas leak.
They were staying at a temporary shelter when police on Friday contacted them to say they had recovered items they thought belonged to her.
Police traced the items back to them by a piece of paper with the woman’s name and telephone number on it. The paper was recovered from inside one of her children’s backpacks, which the thieves used to carry items from her home, according to police. Items taken included computer components and her children’s sneakers.
“When my 8-year-old was able to grab his sneakers and put them on, to see him light up, I couldn’t believe that after everything we had gone through he could be happy,” she said.
Republican reporters Jim Kinney, Peter Goonan, Suzanne McLaughlin, John Appleton, Lori Stabile, and Ted Labord contributed to this story.