Jul 28, 2008 8:00 pm US/Eastern
N.H. Seeks Federal Help For Tornado Victims
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) ―
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Tornado damage in Epsom
Jim Cole/AP
Gov. John Lynch is asking President Bush to make New Hampshire families and individuals eligible for federal disaster assistance because of last week's tornado.
Lynch spent Monday morning with federal, state and local officials to assess the response to the tornado, which tore through 11 communities on Thursday and killed a woman in Deerfield. He said the state is focused on coordinating efforts by various state agencies and volunteer organizations to ensure that victims find shelter, food and clothing.
"Our first priority really is meeting the needs of families," he said at a press briefing.
Arthur Cleaves, regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said his agency has done initial inspections of 116 homes, 19 of which were destroyed. Three dozen homes suffered major damage requiring extensive repairs, 46 suffered minor damage and 15 were minimally damaged but still inhabitable. Officials weren't able to get to another 35 homes because of blocked roads.
Lynch said it is too soon to put a dollar amount on the damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. But clearly communities will feel the impact of clearing roads and other cleanup efforts, he said.
As the cleanup continues, officials cautioned homeowners and others to be careful given that thunderstorms over the last few days have kept conditions dangerous. Chris Pope, the state emergency management director, urged people using chainsaws and other power equipment not to keep working when they get too tired.
The state has set up a help
hotline for tornado victims and is working on a way to allow homeowners, loggers and others to arrange for debris removal by contacting one source.
The state also is collecting donations through the state disaster relief fund and plans to set up a hotline for affected businesses. Information about the hotline, relief fund and other recovery efforts can be found on the state's Web site,
www.nh.gov.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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