As the city approaches 2 months since the the tornado, the still-evident rubble, leveled trees and boarded buildings tell the story – it will likely take 3-5 years for the full recovery, officials say.
Workers repair this home on upper Central Street the Old Hill section that was hit by the June 1 tornado.SPRINGFIELD – The leaders of Rebuild Springfield and a 15-member citizen advisory group say they already see the early signs of recovery from the June 1 tornado that left a path of destruction in the region.
But, as the city approaches the two-month anniversary of the tornado, the still-evident rubble, leveled trees and boarded buildings seen on a bus tour last week tell the true story that it will likely take three to five years for the full recovery, officials said.
The advisory committee was transported by bus, donated for the Peter Pan Bus Lines, to damaged areas, as it prepares to assist with creation of a master plan for the rebuilding task.
The tour “certainly reinforced the general concept that the master plan has to be built neighborhood by neighborhood,” said Gerald W. Hayes, co-chairman of Rebuild Springfield.
“Every neighborhood is different,” Hayes said. “Each has different characteristics, different challenges, different levels of complications in achieving the rebuilding process. That came through loud and clear.”
Among the positive signs seen was a new colonial-style home rising along Island Pond Road in the middle of damage and construction efforts, Hayes said.
In contrast, across town, pieces of the city’s history in the South End were gone or in rubble, he said.
“It’s really kind of heartbreaking,” Hayes said. “Historic rehabilitation the last 25 years, a lot of landmarks are just missing.”
And near Springfield College and the Hickory Street area, with multi-family housing, “land use issues in that area are going to be more complicated to sort out,” Hayes said.
The advisory committee will conduct a series of “listening meetings” in the neighborhoods, Hayes said.
“It’s giving residents an opportunity to express their views, vision, aspirations, and frustrations,” Hayes said.
While in some cases, the outcome is simply replacing the old house with a new house, the master plan will also consider urban renewal opportunities, officials said.
Rebuild Springfield is a public-private partnership led by a public entity, the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, and a private entity, DevelopSpringfield.
Nicholas A. Fyntrilakis, also co-chairman of Rebuild Springfield, had a mixed reaction to what he saw on the tour.
“There is no question, we have a lot of work to do,” Fyntrilakis said. “The good news is that we saw a lot of work being done in some of the neighborhoods. We saw some properties where there was not a lot of activity. We all saw there are opportunities and there are challenges.”
Peter Gagliardi, a member of the advisory committee whose own home was damaged in the South End, said it was “remarkable how many homes are still boarded up, still waiting for work to be done.”
In addition, there were large areas now cleared “that one could envision redeveloping in whole new ways,” Gagliardi said. He said he is particularly concerned about the damage done to the city’s woodland.
A spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Administration said that federal disaster aid is available to cover 75 percent of the damage to public properties not covered by insurance. That can include damage to roads and other infrastructure, public buildings such as schools, and emergency measures, a spokesman said.
Crews start to install new portable classrooms behind the Elias Brookings School on Hancock Street in Springfield. Thirty of the portable classroom structures will be used by students in the upcoming school year while repairs are made to the school building that was damaged by the June 1 tornado.The buildings will be leased for two years while repairs are made to the school.The Elias A. Brookings School and Mary A. Dryden School received significant damage.
Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are also available.
Property owners are encouraged to apply for federal aid from FEMA. The deadline for registration is Aug. 15, and can be done by calling the toll-free number at 1-800-621-FEMA.
Surrounding communities that were in the path of tornadoes June 1, continue to respond to the damage left.
In West Springfield, Mayor Edward J. Gibson said Thursday that officials are urging people who took out forms from FEMA and the Small Business Administration from the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Town Hall to return them soon.
“That is the big drive right now,” he said.
Only about 10 percent of the people who took out paperwork with the Small Business Administration have returned it, according to the mayor. The deadline for returning FEMA forms is Aug. 15. It is not necessary to wait until getting information from one’s insurance company before filing for relief from the federal government, the mayor said.
Next week, state building inspectors will be in the city to go door to door to help the city determine the extent of repairs needed because of the tornado.
Wilbraham Department of Works Director Edmond Miga said the cleanup has cost $3.5 million so far, with Ashbritt Environmental of Florida, removing downed trees and stumps from town tree belts.
Wilbraham Building Inspector Lance Trevallion said the property losses in Wilbraham ranged from minor damage to total loss.
Trevallion said 234 homes with damage were inspected in Wilbraham. Of those, 13 were classified as unsafe for occupancy.
In Monson, 8 percent of the structures in town were damaged by the June 1 tornado. Selectman Edward A. Maia said he thinks a lot of progress has been made, but there is still a lot to be done.
“Unfortunately I think that everyone wants it all done and it’s going to be a very long, slow process,” Maia said. “I think people are beginning to realize that and getting frustrated.”
Maia said the selectmen were asked what they want the downtown to look like, and he responded, “I want it to look like it did on May 31.”
Brimfield town officials said they have spent $420,000 on a contract to remove downed trees and other debris from roadways and another $130,000 for overtime worked in the first days after the tornado.
Brimfield selectmen said they are hopeful that federal money through FEMA will cover 75 percent of the town expenses. They said property owners lost roughly $7 million worth of the value in their homes and are dealing with their insurance companies on those losses.
Westfield was spared major damage from the tornado, with cleanup mostly completed within about three weeks of the storm. City officials say some cleanup and repairs, mostly by residents to personal property and homes, remains.
That includes repairs to the roof at Munger Hill Elementary School where the city has applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as the state’s School Building Authority to help finance roof replacement.
In all 250 residential homes suffered some damage, ranging from broken windows to roofs. Only three were listed by city officials as extensively damage.
Staff reporters Lori Stabile, Suzanne McLaughlin, Sandra Constantine, Ted LaBorde and John Appleton contributed to this report.