Some victims of last month’s devastating tornadoes in the Ottawa-Gatineau area are still struggling to rebuild their lives.
Six tornadoes ripped through the capital region 30 days ago, but for survivors it still feels like yesterday.
Beyond the gates of Arthur Jian’s cordoned-off home in one residential Ottawa neighbourhood, the tornado damage remains.
“To see everything gone in 45 seconds, that makes you feel very sad,” he told CTV Ottawa.
“When everything dropped into the kitchen you saw nothing but dust, smoke, everything. Now it’s time for me to start thinking more about how we’re going to deal with the house.”
His home deemed unsafe, Jian says his family’s focus is on securing a new place to stay.
Like so many victims, he’s waiting for answers. Jian still doesn’t know if the damage can be fixed or if his home needs to be demolished, then rebuilt.
He told CTV Ottawa that he is in close communication with the insurance company and they are still waiting for the report from the contracting company.
He’s not alone. In Dunrobin, one of the hardest hit areas, 30 homes were destroyed.
Twenty other homeowners are awaiting information from their insurance providers regarding the next steps.
Some 3,300 people have asked the Canadian Red Cross for help, which has been working to help tornado victims.
Canadians have donated $1.2 million to the Red Cross for Ottawa and surrounding areas. In Gatineau, $1.6 million has been collected through the Red Cross, along with $3 million from the Quebec government.
Red Cross volunteer David Fraser explained: “We’re starting to distribute some of the financial assistance that we’ve been able to get from very generous Canadians across the country.
“Our campaign and our appeal will go on.”
--- With files from CTV Ottawa’s Megan Shaw
