Storm-impacted residents asked to file loss reports

John Howell
Posted 8/11/15

Until the numbers are added up and a fuller picture of the devastation is in focus, there’s no knowing whether victims of Tuesday’s violent storm could be eligible for Federal Emergency …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Storm-impacted residents asked to file loss reports

Posted

Until the numbers are added up and a fuller picture of the devastation is in focus, there’s no knowing whether victims of Tuesday’s violent storm could be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) low-cost loans and grants.

To learn whether the residents as well as the city could be eligible for disaster relief, the city administration appealed to residents to list their losses.

“It’s done by county,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said yesterday of disaster designations, “and we were hardest hit in Kent [County].” He said the designation is based on the number of people affected as well as the total value of property lost.

Rather than wait for people to call in and report losses, Avedisian said the decision was made to go to the neighborhoods most dramatically impacted and proactively gather the information. He didn’t venture an estimate on losses, but he believes it will be significant given that a single resident, of the many he talked with, was reporting $150,000 in damages.

In addition to storm reports, the mayor said those at the command center – including Ward 4 Councilman Joseph Solomon and Ward 1 Councilman Steve Colantuono – learned of neighborhood issues.

Avedisian reported that at the height of the storm response 45 National Grid tree crews supplemented Warwick Department of Public Works, Water and Sewer crews. Assistance also came from Johnston and Pawtucket.

The mayor said city crews will clear storm debris left at curbside and that, contrary to standard regulations, brush needn’t be tied in four-foot-long bundles. He expects the cleanup to take several weeks.

There’s been no shortage of storm victims, as Fire Chief and the Warwick Emergency Management Director Edmund Armstrong discovered Sunday.

Sunday was the first day of information gathering as the city’s mobile emergency management van made stops at the William Shields Post in Conimicut, John Brown Francis School and St. Timothy’s Church.

By 4 p.m., firefighters who manned the information center had handed out forms to more than 350 families and individuals. Information sought on the form includes a list of damages and whether they are insured.

Firefighters Patrick Crowley and Richard Mernick heard plenty of horror stories, from crushed cars and trucks to trees smashing through roofs to the woman who had her arm in a sling and still had a black eye from the storm. But they reminded that losses may not be as visible as the damaged vehicle, broken fence and downed tree. Power outages resulting in lost food and lost wages resulting from the storm should also be considered.

The city is likewise tallying storm-related costs from overtime and special details for clearing trees, collecting storm debris and directing traffic at traditionally high-volume intersections. Use of independent contractors, fuel and equipment costs are also being tallied.

Armstrong couldn’t say if FEMA would grant the disaster designation, thereby opening the possibility of grants and loans.

“I’m not trying to give anyone any false hopes,” Armstrong cautioned.

The information-gathering drive was launched Saturday and in remarkably little time the word was out.

Dates and times of the mobile center’s locations were carried on the city website and picked up by local media. Word also went out to the 30,000 who have registered for Code Red. Those messages went out in the form of text messages, emails and voice calls.

According to the chief, about 79 percent of those registered for Code Red received messages. He said because of people moving and acquiring new contact information, the list is always less than 100 percent accurate.

The forms are also available on the city’s website and at the Pilgrim Senior Center through this Friday.

Avedisian said there is no deadline for submitting the forms, although he urged it be done soon so the city can apply for the disaster designation.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here