Realtors provide relief to February tornado victims

Jun. 23—Twenty Norman tornado victims recently received checks from the National Association of Realtors to assist them with rebuilding their homes following the Feb. 26 storms.

The money was paid from a grant totaling $70,000, with each family receiving a maximum of $1,000.

The Realtors Relief Foundation is a department of the national organization, which receives donations from realtors and anyone in the community who wants to donate for disaster relief projects.

"It's been a busy year," said Mike C. McGrew, president of the foundation. "Mother Nature has been pretty vigorous this year."

The RRF was founded in 2001 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

"It was founded right after 9-11," McGrew said. "Realtors with a heart wanted to do something about it, so a regional president from Missouri helped launch the nation-wide foundation."

He said following the assistance rendered in 2001, realtors in the organization wanted to continue the tradition, so it transitioned into a natural disaster relief organization.

"We applied for the grant because the mayor declared Norman a city of emergency," said Robin Johnson, association executive to the Norman Board of Realtors. "So we were able to get the grant for $70,000, and we just tried to spread the word as best we could."

Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila said he was impressed with the action taken by the Norman board and those who donated to assist locals with homes damaged by February's tornado.

"We are grateful for the leadership and support of the Norman Board of Realtors, who quickly sprung into action to offer relief to our affected neighbors after the February storms," Heikkila said. "It is a blessing to serve as mayor for a community that supports and uplifts one another in times of despair.

Johnson said checks went out to families south of East Lindsey Street near Reagan Elementary and east of 24th Avenue Southeast.

She said those receiving money filled out an application at the board office to prove residency. They could attach hotel receipts and paperwork of damage, and after going through the applications, the board distributed the awards.

Derick Jensen, a resident of the neighborhood, said he sustained more than $20,000 worth of damage to his home. He said his roof was previously damaged by hail and had been replaced the week before the tornado.

"On Feb. 26, our life changed quite a bit when a tornado hit our neighborhood," Jensen said. "We replaced a roof twice this year, and it just caused a lot of anxiety and discomfort."

Jensen said this grant will help his family feel security.

"With Christmas coming up, our house will be whole again, and that is a very important thing to us," Jensen said. "This organization has helped make our house feel like a home again."

Frances Taber, an award recipient, expressed gratitude for the assistance.

"We lost everything. My home was completely destroyed and none of my family's belongings were salvageable," Taber said. "We had to start over completely."

Amy Bladow, vice president for the Region 9 district, which oversees the Norman board office, said it is also working to assist victims who were affected by the tornado that struck Shawnee on April 19.

She said for the board to react, a state of emergency must be declared.

"The governor did not declare a state of emergency for Norman. Larry Heikkila did that," Bladow said. "However, since then, he declared a state of emergency for Shawnee that happened a couple of months ago."

She said while most homeowners have insurance, which covers much of the damage, many victims do not receive money from their insurance companies in a timely manner, which causes hardship.

"What we are finding is that even though people have coverage, they might even have full replacement costs, but they can't get the money in their hands quickly enough," Bladow said. "There's a lot of hurdles to jump through."

She said the board meets once a week to address disasters throughout the U.S. and its territories.

The organization will continue to go through applications and award more Norman residents devastated by the storm, though the application deadline has now passed.

Johnson said not enough homeowners applied for the grant to distribute all $70,000, but the organization may extend the deadline once approved, which would allow more Feb. 26 tornado victims to apply.

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at [email protected].

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