LISA MARCHESONI, Senior Writer
Posted: Sunday, October 11, 2009 7:36 am

Angela Farzaneh couldn’t find her house after the Good Friday Tornado when she drove into her Regency Park neighborhood.

“It was the most traumatic thing to see your house all turned to pieces,” Farzaneh recalled. “You can’t recognize your own house.”

She couldn’t seek refuge from her parents, Melvin and Latha Watson, a few blocks away because the April 10 tornado destroyed their home too.

After the initial shock, Farzaneh received comfort from the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and church members bringing food, her husband Nima’s co-workers at Nissan helping clean up and neighbors nailing tarps on the roof.

Six months later, her parents moved into their rebuilt home. The Farzanehs should move into their repaired home by the end of the month.

They were among some 845 families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the tornadoes cutting a 23-mile path of destruction from southwest to northeast Rutherford County. Damage was estimated at more than $41 million.

Recovery

Both Gary Whitaker, Murfreesboro building and codes director, and David Jones, Rutherford County building codes director, said the majority of the destroyed and damaged homes were undergoing renovations or were rebuilt and repaired.

In Murfreesboro, roughly 525 houses were damaged.

“At first, people were in shock but most people are taking it in stride and getting life back to normalcy,” Whitaker said.

The city issued 489 permits for tornado damaged homes. Of that number, 47 were totally rebuilt. The remaining permits were issued for both residential and commercial buildings to repair structural damage, including mechanical, electric and plumbing.

Houses needing replacement of windows, roofing or vinyl siding didn’t require a permit.

“The majority are either undergoing renovations or secured and cleaned up,” Whitaker said. “Some people are actually building back. Some have demolished and sold their lots and purchased something finished on the market. It’s a variety.”

Some houses have not been repaired, mostly because the owners are still negotiating with their insurance companies.

“We’re trying to work with those people as long as they have secured the property and are maintaining it,” Whitaker said.

People who simply abandoned their home with no intention to clean it are being notified by the building and codes department. If they don’t respond, the city may cite them into City Court.

“We’re trying to work with them,” Whitaker said. “We know the situations people are in. It’s devastating enough to have your house torn up, then move, hire a contractor and rebuild your life. We’re trying to be compassionate.”

In Rutherford County, Jones said 318 structures sustained tornado damage. By the end of September, the county issued 62 permits for homes to be rebuilt.

Unstable homes require an engineering design before being built back, he noted.

Forty single-family homes were destroyed more than 50 percent and had to be demolished.

“We’re making a lot of progress and a lot of repairs,” Jones said, adding about 70 percent of the victims either rebuilt or purchased homes in another location.

Like city residents, some country residents remain in negotiations with their insurance companies.

Some of the most visible homes awaiting repairs still have tarps covering the roofs on Wilkinson Pike across from The Avenue shopping mall. Two neighbors share the same insurance company.

“They are desperately trying to negotiate with their insurance company,” Jones said, adding the county is working with the residents.

Overall, Jones said repairs seem to be going well.

Farzaneh’s assessment

When their home was damaged, the Farzanehs salvaged as much as they could.

They lost their wedding photographs that can’t be replaced because her parents lost the same photographs and the photographer isn’t in business anymore.

Property salvaged was stored in Pods while they moved into an apartment near MTSU. They weren’t used to noise and the need to lock their doors every time they stepped outside.

And they learned to live with less.

“You don’t need as much as you think you do,” Farzaneh said, explaining, “You don’t have to have a closet full of clothes.”

Once moving back in, she plans to have a garage sale to get rid of property they don’t need. They will take their clothes to Goodwill and the Domestic Violence shelter and the Salvation Army as they downsize.

The Farzanehs and her parents hired builder Chuck McCalla, who worked quickly to repair their homes. The neighborhood looks new, especially since the beautiful old trees were destroyed.

She’s impressed with the care shown by Murfreesboro and Rutherford County residents who still offer to help when they learn the tornado destroyed her home.

“Murfreesboro is the most caring place in the world,” Farzaneh said. “I thank everybody for all their thoughts and prayers and everybody in Rutherford County. It’s a very good place to call home.”

Lisa Marchesoni may be reached at 869-0814 or at lmarchesoni@murfreesboropost.com.