N.H. Tornado Damage

Clare Trapasso, AP Writer
DEERFIELD, N.H. (WBZ) ― When Barry Angelone saw his neighbor clearing fallen tree debris off his roof with a hand saw, Angelone offered to help.

Mike Mailhot, 49, whose Deerfield home was swept off its blocks by a tornado that hit 11 New Hampshire communities Thursday, refused.

 (View: Interactive Storm Damage Map)

But Angelone returned anyway -- with a chain saw.

"He's down there alone and he's got no insurance," said Angelone, who had never spoken with Mailhot before the storm. "It's the neighborly thing to do. Everybody kind of pulls together."

Dozens of family members, friends, volunteers and neighbors like Angelone trudged over fallen power lines, puffs of insulation and around scattered pieces of houses with exposed nails to help those whose homes were damaged or crushed by the storm that claimed the life of Brenda Stevens of Deerfield.

They cut through fallen trees, cleared paths and salvaged belongings while utility workers patched lines and construction crews surveyed damage.

Wade dos Santos, a Red Cross volunteer from Manchester, circled the disaster scene offering residents and volunteers bottles of water and cereal with milk.

Kathy Cramer, 62, was grateful for the help for the help of her friends who arrived at the Deerfield summer home she shares with her brother Saturday morning.

"She's a good friend and she'd do it for us," said friend Betsy Mills, 55, of Bow, who was planning to clear brush with Cramer.

Lisa Ham, 45, a friend from Webster, agreed.

"We hope to be able to get her so she get inside her property and see what damage is done," Ham said.

The storm cut a 40-mile swath through the state, from Deerfield to Effingham, destroying six to 12 homes and damaging at least 200 more. Winds were as high as 111 to 135 mph.

Stevens was killed after the tornado wiped out her Deerfield home.

"The worst of the damage appears to have occurred in Epsom, Deerfield, Northwood and Barnstead," said State Emergency Management spokesman Jim Van Dongen.

Van Dongen said federal disaster teams and state officials were conducting a preliminary damage assessment. The information gleaned could lead Gov. John Lynch to apply for a presidential disaster declaration which could lead to the state receiving disaster funding.

Christopher Pope, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, cautioned volunteers and workers to be careful and make sure to protect themselves -- especially when using chain saws.

"Cleanup work is dangerous and could lead to more injuries or even deaths," Pope said in a statement.

Volunteer firefighters, rescue workers and forest rangers cleared trees and fished debris out of Northwood Lake, around which many of the damaged homes in Deerfield, Epsom and Northwood were located.

"We need to get the debris out of the lake, because of the environmental impact," said Deerfield Highway Agent Alex Cote, who explained much of the debris was from the demolished Stevens' home. "You've got stuff that's actually considered hazardous waste."

Deerfield Fire Chief Mark Tibbetts said volunteers have fished wooden beams and even a deer head out of the lake.

Volunteers also worked to catch fuel leaks and make sure home utilities were turned off.

"This is what we do," said volunteer Auburn firefighter Jessica Hartmann, 28, who was sweating beneath her protective hat. "You might not be able to accomplish a ton today, but to these people it makes a lot of difference."

Deerfield Deputy Fire Chief Gary Clark injured his knee Saturday while clearing fallen trees away from an Epsom propane tank.

A rescue worker bandaged the knee and told Clark to rest.

But Clark couldn't wait to get back to work.

"We've got to help these people out," he said.

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