CLARK, PA. $100 checks sent to tornado victims

The chairman of the panel said the checks are 'token' payments.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
CLARK, Pa. -- The committee overseeing the spending of about $55,000 in donated disaster relief funds after a Nov. 10 tornado wants everyone affected by the storm to get some of that money.
The committee met this week and signed about 100 checks of $100 each and had them mailed out to those who suffered some property damage in the twister, expecting them to be delivered before Christmas.
Atty. Wil White, chairman of the six-member committee, said the group has been able to confirm about 100 cases of property loss but there may be others.
Anyone who suffered a loss in the storm but doesn't get a check within the next few days should contact the municipalities of Clark, South Pymatuning Township or Delaware Township.
Those are the areas hit hardest by the tornado that killed a Clark man, destroyed at least a dozen houses and did extensive damage to dozens more.
White said homes in surrounding municipalities, however, also may have been damaged and the committee will consider applications for assistance from those areas as well.
"We want to be sure we don't overlook anybody," he said.
Most have insurance
Authorities said all but one of the damaged homes were covered by insurance although there are some items that insurance doesn't cover.
White called the $100 a "token payment" that the committee agreed to make after some discussion about how to spend the money in the Clark Tornado Disaster Relief Fund.
There were suggestions that the money be used to help those who suffered the most extensive losses as well as proposals that the committee try to provide at least minimal assistance to as many people as possible, White said.
The committee reached a compromise, deciding to send $100 to everyone now along with an application for property owners to submit larger, detailed requests for additional help, he said.
"That's where we anticipate the larger claims," White said, noting applications must be filed by Jan. 31 so the committee can begin a review of the cases. Another distribution of funds will be made in the spring, he said, adding that the committee expects to get more requests than it will have money to fund.
Requirements
Applications must include the applicant's name, the address of the property loss, a contact phone number, a current mailing address, the number of residents affected, whether the house was owned or rented, what other assistance the applicant may have received and a list of the unmet needs. To avoid any suggestion of favoritism, each application will be presented to the committee with only a case number, no name or address, for review.
Clark appointed three members of the committee, and South Pymatuning appointed the other three.
Along with White, Clark named Dan O'Neill and Carol Eberhart to the committee, and the township picked Frank Nagy, Michael Reichart and Dr. Daniel Baker. Of the six, only White suffered any significant loss in the storm. He said he doesn't anticipate making any claim for any of the relief funds for damage to his home, although he and a neighbor may make a request to help replace some of the 40 trees they lost.
Overwhelming support
Clark Mayor Douglas Bradley said he has been overwhelmed by the show of support for those who had losses in the storm.
Hundreds of volunteers turned out to help clean up the debris, and hundreds have been contributing to the relief fund, he said, noting that money has come in from as far away as Columbiana and Butler.
"I am surprised and just elated," Bradley said, adding that the municipalities won't be seeking any of that money. They have applications pending with the state seeking grants to cover the cleanup costs, he said.
There's a lot of reconstruction going on now as owners have their damaged homes repaired, and it appears that most of those whose homes were totally destroyed intend to rebuild on the same sites in the spring, Bradley said.
"The attitude, commitment and drive of the people in this borough is just phenomenal," he said.
Donations to the relief fund are still being accepted and can be sent to the borough office on Winner Road, Clark 16113, or the First National Bank of Pennsylvania office at 9 W. Main St., Sharpsville, Pa., 16150.
gwin@vindy.com