N.H. tornado victims still struggle

N.H. tornado victims still struggle (Boston Globe)
Displaced families fighting to rebuild
Associated Press / October 29, 2008

CONCORD, N.H. - Three months after a tornado ripped a 50-mile swath through central New Hampshire, some residents are still caught in a swirl of red tape as they fight to rebuild their damaged or destroyed homes and get on with their lives.

Arlene and Bill Moffitt are living in a trailer where their house once stood next to Northwood Lake.

Arlene, 71, and Bill, 64, say that since late July, they have done nothing but tangle with their insurance company, mortgage company, town officials, and the bank as they try to rebuild. They had to speak with 37 agents at the mortgage company, Bill Moffitt said, before checks were issued and ground was finally broken last week. They hope to be in the house by Christmas.

"The storm was one thing, and we coped," he told the Concord Monitor. "This stress we're going through now is worse than the storm itself."

There is no official tally of displaced families, but the Community Action Program of Belknap-Merrimack Counties has 24 cases open, said disaster assistance director Andy LaBrie. They include insured homeowners. Most are in Deerfield, Epsom, Northwood, and Barnstead.
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