| Tornadoes damage 253 city homes |
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By: Lisa Marchesoni
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Posted: Saturday, April 11, 2009 12:00 am
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| Preliminary assessments showed damaged homes rose from 100 to 253 Murfreesboro homes during the Good Friday tornado, Deputy City Manager Rob Lyons said during a press conference Saturday afternoon. • 42 homes were destroyed. • 80 homes sustained major damage. • 60 homes sustained minor damage. • 71 homes sustained some damage. City employees assessing damage used Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines to list damage address by address. Lyons expects to see a disaster declaration, allowing the city and county to recover costs. “The recovery effort will take several weeks,” Lyons said. More than 18,000 customers lost power from the tornadoes but by noon, only 5,000 customers remained without electricity by noon Saturday. Murfreesboro Electric Department and 25 supplemental crews worked to restore electricity to the remaining northern part of the city, Lyons said. He hopes the power will be restored Saturday night. “Electric crews are working to restore the Kirk substation on Thompson Lane” with the primary focus to get the city’s water and wastewater stations operating with electricity, Lyons said. When the Kirk substation is energized, power will be restored in north Murfreesboro. Power was restored to Thompson Lane customers around 5 p.m. Mayor Tommy Bragg said he spoke to the family of Kori Bryant, a Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department employee who was killed along with her 9-week-old daughter, Olivia. “They are just all to pieces,” Bragg said, noting it was difficult for Bryant’s mother to lose her daughter and granddaughter. Emergency Medical Services spokesman Randy White said one rescue worker suffered injuries when tripping over a guide wire and striking his head. He was treated and released from Middle Tennessee Medical Center. Paramedics answered calls Saturday for people suffering from tornado-related medical needs such as chest pains, asthma and dialysis. American Red Cross spokeswoman Emily Petro said the Murfreesboro Disaster Relief Effort provided more than 1,000 hot meals since the tornado struck Friday. Victims may obtain toiletry and cleaning kits and obtain mental health counseling at the Red Cross shelter located at New Visions Baptist Church on North Thompson Lane. Murfreesboro Police Chief Glenn Chrisman said all vacations were canceled and Murfreesboro Police are working 12-hour shifts to secure tornado-damaged neighborhoods. Command posts are set up at Haynes Drive and Buckle; Riverview Drive and Royal and Compton Road and Penny Lane. “Traffic congestion is still a big problem,” Chrisman said. “Please, please, please, if I can say it three times, we ask if you are not directly connected, please stay away.” Sightseers are hampering the clean up efforts by blocking streets, preventing dump trucks and backhoes from getting to homes needed clearance. Lyons said people who need help or people who can offer help should call the Emergency Management Agency at 890-1934. EMA will match victims with volunteers. To collect debris, 18 pieces of equipment are available along with 45 private contractors and 19 dump trucks. The Town of Smyrna offered equipment to help. To prevent potential electrical problems, Lyons asked people not to hook generators to the meter panel. Generators should be plugged in directly. Generators should be used outdoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. City employees will be allowed to attend church services on Easter Sunday but will be asked to return to work after services. Bragg said he was proud of the city employees and volunteers who responded. “We really have suffered as a community but we will rebuild,” Bragg said. Other information: • Victims may use showers for free at SportsCom on Memorial Boulevard and Patterson Park Community Center on Mercury Boulevard. • Permits will not be needed for minor repairs. Contractors must obtain permits for major repairs. • The county landfill will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday to accept yard debris and building materials only. • The city of Murfreesboro will accept yard waste only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Florence Road center. • Residents should place yard waste in one pile and building materials in a separate pile because the materials will be transported to two different disposal locations. • Call 494-0432 to have meters reinstalled at homes. Building Codes inspectors must inspect the building before electricity is restored. |
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