Lessons learned from Hampton tornado

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) - There are moments after most disasters when victims say "I never would have thought of that." Now, tornado victims are sharing what could be learned about being prepared.

The number of trees down on Monitor Drive in Hampton is mind boggling.

Hal Gwyn told WAVY.com "Oh it looked like the 'Wizard Of Oz'. Dorothy with all the stuff going around and then we tried to get out of the house and couldn't cause the whole house was surrounded by trees down." The tornado ripped the siding off Gwyn's home and broke a bedroom window.

Down the block WAVY.com found an even worse situation, a once mighty oak brought down on top of Don Mertz's home. His is one of four the City condemned.

As they wait for insurance adjusters, WAVY.com asked both men what's surprised them most.

Gwyn said, "So, I just wasn't sure where to start. My roof was gone windows were blown in it was leaking in the house so that kind of makes you feel vulnerable."

The Better Business Bureau advises residents start with a list of questions for contractors following a storm including: Do you have insurance, are you licensed and do you have a physical location in town?

Gwyn also learned looks can be deceiving. As he pointed to what looked like an untouched wall he said,
"The water ran down in this wall so they're going to have to take the wall out, the ceiling out and we're going to have to start all over again." Otherwise mold will grow.

Not much surprised Mertz who used to work emergency management in the Air Force. His advice is look out for your neighbors, remember to get city permits to rebuild and most importantly, "Got to have a good attitude to get through it."

The City Manager has proposed dropping the building permit fees for tornado victims as the City did for hurricanes Isabel and Irene. Council will vote on Wednesday.