Armando Feliciano lost his home during the June 1 tornado.
SPRINGFIELD - Armando Feliciano inspects the tornado damage inside his home at 36 Amanda Street. Staff photo by Lucila J. Santana
SPRINGFIELD – What Armando Feliciano remembers most about the tornado that destroyed his home on Amanda Street was the deafening noise.
“It sounded like a thousand wolves howling all at once,” he says.
Feliciano is one of the many residents in the City of Homes whose property was destroyed or damaged by the June 1 tornado. Nearly a month later, many of them are dealing with insurance companies, contractors and even court dates while trying to move forward in their lives.
“It has been very difficult to see my home, which I took so much pride in, destroyed this way,” Feliciano said. “I recently invested $60,000 in the house, putting in new floors, a new kitchen. I even purchased sod a few days before the tornado, and now it’s all gone.”
Feliciano purchased the home in East Forest Park six years ago and lived there with his wife, daughter and two small grandchildren. Everyone was home when the tornado struck.
“You could feel the house shaking and hear the wind. It was like nothing I have ever experienced,” said Feliciano, who is the director of adult education for the Springfield Public Schools.
City officials, Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel and insurance adjusters have all visited his home.
Just up the road on Mary Street, Jose L. Ferreira also lost his home, which was built several years ago. The roof and most of the walls on the second floor are completely gone. Ferreira is in the process of obtaining a trailer, so he can live on the property while a new home is built.
“Right now they are saying it will take months to go through the permitting and the bidding process before they can rebuild,” said Ferreira, who is currently staying with family.
In the South End neighborhood, Miguel Otero lost most of his belongings when a giant tree fell on the roof and destroyed his home. Otero and his wife had moved here from Worcester five years ago.
“We purchased the house and were happy living here,” he said.
Otero came home on June 1 to see that trees had destroyed his garage, his car and his one-family home. “I worked so hard to get to this point, to have my own home, and it almost brought me to tears to see the destruction,” he said.
Jeffrey and Lillian Green-Gray are hoping to get back into their home on Winton Street soon. They attended a community meeting for East Forest Park residents on Thursday to get information about what to do now.
“We are hoping to move forward and to be able to get back into our home. Unfortunately, we do have structural damage,” she said.
FEMA officials are encouraging residents to register for help even if they do not think they will qualify.
Jose Vejarano, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration, said they are working closely with FEMA to provide families with all the assistance they need.
“We found the meeting to be very helpful,” Lillian Green-Gray said. “We think the mayor and his staff are doing a great job. Neighbors are helping each other and we are trying to make the best of it.”
Jeffrey Green-Gray said many people have commented to him on how surprised they were that people in Springfield have come together to help each other in the tornado’s wake.
“They hear about the murders and the problems in Springfield, and they forget that most people who live here are just hardworking, regular folks who care about their neighbors,” he said.
Feliciano said his friends, his community and even strangers have reached out to help his family. “It has been overwhelming to see the support,” he said.
His family is staying at his sister’s house, but it is a temporary solution, Feliciano said.
“There are five of us and two dogs living in one room. It’s uncomfortable for us and an imposition on my sister, even though I know she is happy to help us,” he said.
Feliciano is also hoping to get a trailer on his property.
“I know as the construction process begins there will be people trying to steal the metal out of the house, and I would feel better being on the property,” he said.
Otero is living in an apartment on Taylor Street while his home is either rebuilt or repaired. The city had condemned it, but his insurance company said there may be some hope for repairing it.
Otero is also one of many residents who has received a summons to appear in Hampden Housing Court after the tornado.
“They said I had to go in to discuss violations on my property due to the tornado,” he said. City officials said there will be free representation available for anyone who has to go to court.
Piles of construction materials and yard waste line streets across the city as cleanup crews stop by daily to clear them away. Now families look forward to healing not only their properties, but their broken lives.
“All we can do now is hope to rebuild and move forward as a community. I hope that we can get the help we need not only for our homes, but psychologically for many people who experienced the tornado and have trauma,” Lillian Green-Gray said.