Red Cross and local officials assist town

Five days after tornadoes ripped through Ellettsville, debris is still being cleared and families are finding help from friends, neighbors, relatives and the Red Cross. \nCleanup started as soon as the storms finished and officials said it will continue until all the debris is cleared and people who lost their homes are back on their feet again.\n"Some people have lost absolutely everything, so cleaning them up and getting them back on their feet could go on for weeks. I estimate that we have spent about $50,000 to $75,000 on helping these people recover from the storm, and I would not be surprised if we spend more," said Carol Bentley, the executive director of the Red Cross of Monroe County. "With the 45 volunteers that we have, we have already given out about nine hundred meals and snacks."\nBrian O'Neill, the president of the Board of Commissioners in Ellettsville, said a local disaster emergency was declared.\n"By declaring a local disaster emergency, it triggers assistance from the state and federal emergency managing agency," O'Neill said.\nWhen destruction goes beyond state and local capabilities, the federal government is called upon to help recover from disasters. The Federal Emergency Managing Agency is working in conjunction with state and local emergency management agencies, federal agencies and the Red Cross to assess damages, O'Neill said.\n"Within an hour of the storm, we had a team of volunteers doing preliminary damage assessment. At 7 a.m. the next morning, the team went back out and went door to door to help out those who were affected by the storm," Bentley said.\nGeraldine McIntyre, who works with the Town Council, has volunteered all her time to the command center. \n"Out of the 168 homes that were damaged or destroyed, 58 were in town and 104 were outside Ellettsville. Twenty-eight were destroyed units, 39 received major damage and 101 received minor damage," she said.\nO'Neill said the cleanup has progressed well.\n"The roads have been cleared in the county and in Ellettsville and we have secured the perimeters so people are not going into dangerous homes," O'Neill said. \nThe town is now working on demolishing the homes and apartments that are unsafe. From there, the leftover debris goes to a nearby landfill.\n"We have taken down four houses already, and have one more house to take down tomorrow. We have all worked 16-hour days these past few days, plus all night Friday night. By tomorrow afternoon, everything should be cleared and all roads were open as of 5:30 p.m. yesterday," McIntyre said. "We have worked on the houses with major and minor damage by putting tarps on the roofs."\nFor three days, workers cleared the debris in the county and in Ellettsville by raking the leaves and having trucks come and clear the roads.\n"Two hundred forty tri-axle trucks per day for the past three days cleared the roads, and for about the next five days, it will probably take eighty truckloads," O'Neill said. "It took this much in just dealing with trees and brush," he said.\nAlthough there were no fatalities in this disaster, three people went to the hospital with scrapes and bruises, but they have been treated and were released.\n"We have accounted for everyone and have found shelter and food for those who are now homeless," O'Neill said.\nSince some have not reported to the Red Cross, they are expecting many more than the sixty that have already come. \n"They still may be in shock or trauma at all the damage and are not able to focus on being able to see what they need," Bentley said.\nYet, when they do, the Red Cross, the Commissioners and volunteers at the Town Hall, and the State and Federal Managing Agency will be there to help them in every way.\n"It will take a week or two to clean up the Ellettsville, but for Monroe County, it may take longer, but we are pulling together, making assessments and financially pursuing state aid," O'Neill said.