A year after the tornado, progress and challenges on the North Side
This morning, City leaders planted a tree on the North Side to mark one year since the tornado that struck the community. It's just one of more than 3,000 new trees that will be planted this year in the storm-damaged area. The City encourages everyone to mark one year since the tornado by committing to service in north Minneapolis, or in their own communities. Thousands of volunteers have already helped clean up and rebuild the North Side, and many more helping hands will be needed into the future.
The area struck by the May 22, 2011 tornado is home to about 7,000 properties. Of those, about 3,700 were damaged by the storm. In the year since the tornado, the City, many government and non-profit partners, and thousands of volunteers have worked together to help people get back on their feet and rebuild a stronger north Minneapolis.
Rebuilding and reinvesting
By the end of April 2012, residents and property owners had made repairs and improvements to the vast majority of properties. So far:
2,891 repair permits have been issued
$28.7 million in repairs have been made or are under way
About $2 million in assistance has been provided to people affected by the storm through loans and other help from the City, state and federal governments, as well as many non-profit organizations involved in the tornado recovery
96 percent of properties that suffered major damage in the tornado have since been repaired or demolished, or that work is in progress. There were 206 properties with major damage, and so far:
149 were repaired or are in the process of being repaired
48 were demolished or demolition is pending
Nine still have unrepaired damage
81 percent of properties that received orders from the City to make structural repairs have resolved those issues. Of the 1,030 properties with orders, 834 have been resolved.
To learn more about the tornado recovery in north Minneapolis, see the May 2012 Tornado Recovery Update.
Published May. 22, 2012