Tarps still mar tornado-damaged North Side

Six months after a tornado barreled through the North Side of Minneapolis, about 150 homes that suffered major damage have not been repaired, with city officials unable to tell whether owners plan to fix them or, in some instances, if anyone is even living there.

Thomas Deegan, the city's director of housing, estimated that as many as 60 of the homes may be in the process of being abandoned, leaving the status of the others unknown. "It's a little frustrating," he said. "The city, and particularly the nonprofits, everybody, has collaborated to let homeowners know that whatever is going on, we want to help them."

Part of the problem appears to be that, despite repeated door knocking by neighborhood groups, some wary occupants don't come to the door.

"Bottom line, I think some folks are suspicious," said Chad Schwitters, executive director of the nonprofit Urban Homeworks, who has played a major role in the effort to work with homeowners.

He said that some may face language barriers and others may be in a tussle with insurance companies and are reluctant to answer the door. "The people who open the doors -- we can probably find a solution for them," he said. "I am agonized. I want to do whatever's possible to get homes safe and secure for winter. But I understand people's fear of the unknown. I really encourage folks to open their doors and talk to us, or call the recovery center."

The 150 homes are among 250 that were identified by a visual city survey in September as having suffered major damage, mostly to roofs, with no indication of having been repaired. The city has since found that the other 100 homes are either undergoing repairs or have since been linked with resources or organizations to help.

Deagan said the city will miss a self-imposed deadline of Dec. 1 to have all occupied homes that were damaged in the tornado fully repaired or in the process of being fixed. He had set it mindful of the onset of winter and the danger that tattered blue tarps spread across the damaged roofs won't hold up in a major snowfall.

More than $25 million in repairs has been done to homes and businesses, according to a city news release, based on 2,600 permits that have been issued so far.

Cherie Shoquist, Minneapolis' foreclosure project coordinator, said Friday that the city still has an estimated $1.2 million available to help homeowners, with most of the money from state grants. "We are going to keep providing outreach and offer homeowners the resources we have," she said.

Deegan said the next step toward determining whether damaged homes are occupied will be to check with the water department and with CenterPoint Energy for water and natural gas use. The city has arranged to get the information from the gas company so long as it keeps the data private. Deegan acknowledged that some people live in houses even if the water is turned off.

Louis King, who leads the Northside Community Response Team, a group created to help people in the tornado's aftermath, said there has been "a Herculean effort at outreach" and that the city and Schwitters have been tenacious in trying to reach homeowners.

"We may be down to the people who are unwilling or not even present to get the work done," he said. "Are they single family homes? Are they rental properties? I think we have come a long way. It's unfortunate, at this point, with the snow beginning to fall, that people are not responding." He said that 150 homes without a roof is an "untenable situation" and he was hopeful the city could sort through the problem quickly.

The city reported Monday that Habitat for Humanity has completed 11 roofing projects and 15 more are in the process of being repaired through a Tarps to Shingles program supported by the Pohlad Family Foundation. Urban Homeworks, Neighborhood Housing Services and the Minneapolis Urban League have nine roof replacement projects completed or underway through support from Wells Fargo. Star Community Partners has 15 home repair contracts signed or in progress. Rebuilding it Right, a group of architects, has provided free design services for 40 homeowners.

Randy Furst • 612-673-4224