Greensboro officials give Sunday update on storm damage, cleanup (updated)

April 23--GREENSBORO -- With cleanup still underway a week after a tornado cut a destructive path across east Greensboro, city officials used one word Sunday to describe moving forward: patience.

"For some it will take weeks, for some months, for others years" to resume their lives, Acting City Manager David Parrish told reporters Sunday.

And then he paused, with city council members, school and safety officials standing behind him.

"Please," Parrish added, looking directly into a bank of television cameras, "don't forget about this area."

In the past week, intersections have been cleared of trees and webs of power lines from where the April 15 tornado touched down near Barber Park and traveled 16 miles northeast through Guilford County.

But there's still a lot unknown.

Parrish knows a lot of people want answers to whether the area is eligible for federal aid. He doesn't have one. The city is still assessing losses. More than 1,000 structures, including three schools, were damaged or demolished. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will make the determination, and that could take weeks.

While just 10 people stayed last night at the emergency shelter set up at Windsor Center -- from a peak of about 100 -- he says those figures are misleading when it comes to apartments and houses people can no longer live in until they're repaired.

"This will be our greatest challenge," Parrish said of housing needs.

Later in the briefing, Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras spoke of the three heavily-damaged elementary schools that will remain closed through the end of the year.

Those students have been moved to other schools with space.

"We do not know yet if it will continue into the next school year," Contreras said.

There was a lot of talk during the press briefing about #greensborostrong, the new symbol of people coming together.

"I saw a house today where the bricks were blown off the side," said City Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, who represents the district. "There are heartbreaking stories block by block. Whether FEMA helps or not, the city has a responsibility to these communities."

In an update, city officials also said:

* Keep the donations coming.

* Residents shouldn't have to pay to haul away debris. Just get debris to the curb, and the city will remove it. About 1,800 tons have been picked up. The city also has waived tipping fees for people who live in affected areas who bring debris to the White Street Landfill and the Solid Waste Transfer Station on Burnt Poplar Road. People should separate building debris from yard waste.

* The Interactive Resource Center at 407 E. Washington St. remains the central drop-off point for items. The center especially needs tarps to cover roofs because the weather forecast calls for rain starting today.

* Watch out for scams. Use reputable companies and individuals.

* The city is opening two disaster relief sites today at the Willow Oaks Community Center at 1815 Everitt St. and the Peeler Recreation Center at 1300 Sykes Ave. Representatives from the Greensboro Housing Coalition, the N.C. Department of Insurance and other agencies will be there.

By the numbers:

* 3,000 Guilford County Schools students and their families and district employees were affected by the storm in some way, according to Superintendent Sharon Contreras.

* Guilford Emergency Services logged 1,000 calls in the three hours after the storm.

* $100,000 to help storm victims has come in to the United Way of Greater Greensboro and Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

* More than 600 people registered to go into those communities as volunteers. "We know hundreds more just went," Parrish said.

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Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 336-373-7049 and follow @nmclaughlinNR on Twitter.

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