Residents still in need after tornado’s destruction
LAUREL, Del. – A month has passed and still Laurel is picking up the pieces. Homes ripped apart by an April storm still need attention and families still need help.
“It’s a very slow process very slow. We’re getting there a little by little but it’s a slow process,” explains Brenda Reynolds.
It’s been a little over a month since an F2 tornado ripped through the town of Laurel, leaving destruction in its wake.
Mike Lowe, Asst. Fire Chief with the Laurel Fire Dept. says, “There were nine houses that were rendered in habitable and they were 24 houses that sustained significant damage.”
Seaford Road took the brunt of it and it still shows today more than a month later.
Roofs are under repair, windows are boarded up and the community still needs help.
“I praise everyone that did come and help I think them very much but where are you now where is everyone for these people 35 where is everyone.”
The clean-up continues and for Laurel the effort to get everyone back on their feet has been exhausting.
Wright adds, “There’s a lot of work to get the yard cleaned up the debris removed and everything hauled away and stuff you know there’s a process for it.”
Without financial help from the federal government, homeowners have had to rely on insurance companies to cover the repairs. It’s a process they say isn’t fast or easy.
“Insurance is great but then you have deductibles and then you’re waiting periods and then you to make sure you’re qualified for this and it’s just a slow slow process,” explains Reynolds.
We’re told that even though Laurel didn’t meet the criteria for federal assistance, Rep. Tim Dukes is still working towards getting some state funds.
He tells 47 ABC that the state’s Department of Health reached out to see what residents need.
But he also says not many decisions can be made until they find out exactly what insurance companies will cover and what people are left with.
Luckily for Laurel and people in the surrounding area that need help, there are organizations and one in particular that are stepping up to help in this time of need.
“The Good Ole Boys Foundation they have a website and any individual that has losses that’s not covered by insurance they can contact the Good Ole Boys and fill out their application online and they’ll look into it,” explains Rep. Dukes.
He says he’s also working with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority. Dukes says that together, both the state legislature and the S-W-A could get fees waived and find funding to cover some of the clean-up costs.
