Tornado recovery proving to be slow, complicated
Homeowners, renters, businesses grapple with new uncertainties
After the shock comes the wait. Five weeks after tornadoes ransacked parts of the capital region, victims are left to ponder their fate and why it seems to take so long to return to normal.
“We’re used to working 12hour days,” says Julie Delahunt, co-owner of Dunrobin Meat and Grocery and the adjoining beer and liquor store. “Now I’m going stir-crazy working out of home on inventory.”
Her business, which Delahunt owns with her sister, Cindy, was the anchor tenant of the Dunrobin mall, which has been closed for business since the Sept. 21 tornado blew out its windows, doors and much of the roof, and destroyed what was inside.
Unlike other mall tenants, including Canada Post and chiropractor Dr. Kelly Graham, the Delahunts have been unable to relocate their business. The capital costs of buying new equipment, refrigeration units and inventory are hefty and, while insurance might eventually cover the expense of this and the ongoing loss of business income, uncertainty hangs over everything.
“Will this take six months to get resolved? A year?” Julie asks rhetorically. “This is a bit of a waiting game.”
Indeed, as affected homeowners, renters and businesses across the region try to put their lives back together, it’s clear just how complicated and lengthy this process will be.
Community activists are trying to soften the impact of the delays.
Several West Carleton church leaders, including Rev. Debbie Roi of Dunrobin United Church and Rev. John Wilker-Blakley of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, have organized more than 20 volunteers to help tornado victims deal with longer-term issues raised by the loss of their homes.
The idea is to partner volunteers with families most affected by the tornado with a commitment to help out for as long as two years.
Among the services contemplated are assisting people with paperwork related to insurance claims, making home-cooked meals, offering childcare and driving people to and from appointments or work. (families in need of this sort of assistance are urged to email Roi at Revdebbieroi@gmail.com).
The work of the church leaders, who are co-ordinating with the West Ottawa Resource Centre and Dunrobin Community Association, is in sharp contrast with the activities of thieves who recently broke into a storage container filled with house contents. This prompted the reinstatement of security in Dunrobin on Saturday.
Assistance for the long haul will be needed.
The City of Ottawa has assessed more than 500 homes and determined that roughly one-third had serious structural damage, with 160 orders issued to repair those properties. As of Oct. 25, though, only 26 demolition permits had been approved, along with 17 construction permits.
The problem doesn’t appear to be city bureaucracy, which is under orders to give tornado victims priority. Besides, the city has plenty of capacity for this stuff, given that it annually issues an average of 8,000 demolition and building permits.
“We’re well set up to handle the additional permits required as a result of the tornado,” says John Buck, the city’s manager of building inspections and enforcement.
The primary source of delay lies with the many layers of required approvals for reconstruction and the complexity of negotiations between claimants and the companies that insure them.
Homes that require demolition must first be examined by hydro and gas companies for “proof of utility clearance.” Septic systems — common in the Dunrobin area — also require new permits before work can begin on a new foundation or house.
There’s a learning curve, too, in the tornadoes’ aftermath as insurance adjusters peel back layers of damage.
Wilker-Blakley says his church’s torn roof turned out to be just the start as an investigation revealed disturbed roof trusses and damaged wall boards. “There was a multiplication of problems,” he says.
Once the problems are uncovered, permits are needed to repair or rebuild the structures. “The standard is a 10-day turnaround time (for approval),” Buck says, “but we’re endeavouring to do much better than that.”
Even with all the permissions in hand, however, tornado victims may discover many of the region’s building tradespeople are already committed to other projects, leading to further delays in rebuilding.
“The biggest concern is people can’t find contractors,” says Eli El-Chantiry, the city councillor for the West Carleton-March ward. As an example, the backlog to install roof trusses had already extended into January before the tornadoes hit. And, of course, it takes as long as six months to construct a new house after the paperwork is done.
El-Chantiry says despite all this he has heard from only one resident complaining about the slow pace of reconstruction.
Beyond the time-consuming process of accumulating permits, those recovering from the tornado are also discovering some of their most important decisions depend on the actions (or inactions) of others.
Perhaps this reality is best illustrated by the Dunrobin mall, a piece of real estate acquired more than two decades ago by Anwar Haq and three other investors.
For the moment, there seems a good likelihood that Haq and his partners will rebuild on the same spot. However, Haq, who declined to comment, has yet to hear from structural engineers about whether the walls are still sound, according to a source familiar with the mall reconstruction project.
The mall owners will have to wrestle with several unknowns, including how much insurance will cover.
There’s also the question of whether former tenants will return. Graham, the chiropractor, and Canada Post have moved to temporary quarters a couple of kilometres up Dunrobin Road. But if restoring the mall to working condition takes more than a year, they could move to more permanent locations elsewhere.
A decision by Canada Post, which is operating for now out of a mobile truck, is particularly important because its outlet was an important magnet for the mall.
In short, Haq and his tenants have several business decisions to make, each depending on the other. It’s little wonder that they are in relatively close contact with each other and that a pall of uncertainty remains over this and other parts of the region.