The clean-up and damage assessments continued in Angus as people are anxiously waiting to find out when they can return home.
Kevin Thompson hasn't been able to return to his home since the tornado touched down in Angus a week ago.
“I want to get going and get back in my house,” he says, “just to get cleaned up.”
This morning Thompson's insurance company assessed the damage – the good news is his home can be repaired. But it could be up to two months before he can move back in.
“We're waiting for the engineer to come back and check our trusses and make sure everything is secure that way and then they can start the ball rolling,” he says.
A high EF2 tornado ripped through the Angus subdivision last Tuesday, damaging 101 homes and displacing about 300 people.
Restoration crews were busy again today gutting houses that were badly damaged so engineers can determine whether they can be repaired.
“We've had to remove the contents to tear out from the second story to the main level so they can do a further inspection,” says Darrell Loosemore, Higland Restoration DKI. “Essentially they want to determine the integrity of the structure.”
Up to 20 homes may have to be torn down but there's no word when demolition will begin.
As for the houses that can be repaired, the mayor says it's now a matter between the homeowner and their insurance company.
“So it’s up to them to decide when they can get back in the houses and all the utilities are on site,” says Mayor Terry Dowdall. “We're trying to expedite through the building department and get people back in their homes.”
