U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., said he is amazed at the progress that has been made since a tornado swept through Western Massachusetts one year ago, but he knows there is still much work to do.
Brown, who is in a heated reelection campaign against Democratic challengers Elizabeth Warren and Marisa DeFranco, spent time Thursday meeting with Mayor Domenic Sarno, East Forest Park residents and the volunteers of Rebuilding Together Springfield.
“It’s been fascinating to see the rebirth in some places and the struggle in others,” Brown said. “I was here the day after the tornado and there is still a long way to go, but overall it’s a remarkable recovery.”
While walking on Ithaca Street in East Forest Park trailed by a cadre of media from Boston to Albany, N.Y.,
Brown noted that the missing tree cover and still tarped roofs juxtaposed the new and renovated houses in the area.
Rick Caputo, a board member of the East Forest Park Civic Association, said the progress is ongoing, although people have faced tremendous hardships along the way.
“We all had frustration in the beginning dealing with the insurance companies but overall, the recovery has went well here,” Caputo said. “The bigger and better houses we see in our neighborhood do justice to Springfield’s name as the ‘city of homes. But we still have serious concerns about the downed trees and branches in the wooded areas being a fire hazard.”
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This story first ran in the the Springfield Republican on May 31, 2012.
