Revere residents seek advice on rebuild

REVERE – Geraldine Iovanna said the most difficult thing about the last three days, since her home was significantly damaged by a tornado, has been knowing who to trust.”I know with the damage I have I need a public adjuster, but I’ve heard a lot of things, mostly bad ? who do I trust?” she asked Mayor Daniel Rizzo. “I haven’t made a move yet because I’m afraid to.”Iovanna was just one of more than 200 residents who filled the American Legion Post 61 to capacity Wednesday seeking answers and advice on how to put things back together after a EF-1 tornado tore apart the city’s central business district and surrounding neighborhoods.Along with Rizzo, Fire Chief Eugene Doherty, several police officers, public works employees, representatives from a variety of insurance companies and the Red Cross were on hand to field questions as well.Rizzo broke the bad news first, that it isn’t likely that any Federal Emergency Management Agency funding will be coming Revere’s way.”FEMA will only cover under certain trigger points, and because this hit with such precision, I don’t think we’ll hit those trigger points,” he said.Residents voiced frustration over the fact that the damage was not, essentially, widespread enough to make FEMA’s radar, but Rizzo and Doherty said they would do everything they could to get residents money to subsidize their cleanup costs.Although a formal, detailed announcement will be made Friday morning, Rizzo also told the crowd that a Revere Tornado Relief Fund was also being established to help offset costs.”I’ll have more information on that Friday,” he said.Rizzo warned residents to watch out for scammers. He told Iovanna and others to request references from anyone offering their services and to make sure contractors were licensed and had pulled the proper permits. He also said he was waiving all permit fees for those impacted by the storm – news that was met with a round of applause.Residents were also warned to report anyone who seemed suspicious, whether it was someone offering them a loan or hanging around an uninhabitable or abandoned home.”I hate it when people call and say they didn’t want to bother us because they’re sure we have better things to do,” said Police Lt. Carl Ruggiero. “We really don’t. We’re here for you.”Public Works Superintendent Donald Goodwin said trees and brush seemed to be the biggest issue facing property owners, so that is what they planned to address first.The city lost about 220 public trees, which have mostly been cleaned up, but home and business owners are still struggling to clear their yards.Public Works General Foreman Paul Argenzio said if residents could drag the tree limbs and brush to the curb, the city would pick it up.”(Next) Wednesday or Thursday, we’ll come around with the chipper and get rid of it for you,” he said. “We can’t come into your yards or onto your roofs and get it, but if you can get it to the curb, and you don’t need to cut it or bundle it, it’s easier if you leave large pieces ? completely contrary to what we usually tell you.”Goodwin said once the yard waste is cleaned up, they will make arrangements to pick up shingles, glass, siding and other debris.When given the chance to talk, residents worried mostly that insurance rates would skyrocket as a result of any claim filed due to the storm.”I’ve had a lot of losses over the years with the blizzard of ’78 and the no name storm, and my insurance never doubled,” Doherty said. “I don’t think you’ll see that.”Despite the fact that the roof was lifted off her house causing, among other problems, significant water damage and that her second floor deck was ripped off by a falling tree that also crushed her car, Iovanna said she was doing OK. She said that oddly she has seen friends and received offers of help from friends she hasn’t seen in years. She also praised her son Dan Wise and his wife, Emily, for sticking close by to help, and she also echoed nearly everyone else who spoke about their woes when she