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The Carmel City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a resolution to help business owners and homeowners impacted by a tornado that damaged areas of the city last week.
The resolution allows city staff to waive fees collected by the Carmel Department of Community Services for construction on residential and commercial properties that were damaged by the April 2 storm. The fees include permitting, engineering and review fees.
“The resolution you have before you is largely designed to help our residents and our businesses move on and deal with the consequences of this storm,” Executive Director of Economic Development Nick Weber told council members who held a special emergency meeting.
The National Weather Service said the storm last week spawned an F-1 tornado with peak winds of 105 mph and was on the ground in Carmel for 6.6 miles.
It wasn’t the only tornado to hit the Indianapolis area on April 2. An F-2 tornado in Brownsburg damaged Sur La Table’s main distribution center at 901 E. Northfield Drive. The building partially collapsed, trapping a woman in the wreckage for more than 40 minutes. Confirmed tornadoes also hit Lapel and other areas of Madison County.
Carmel Fire Department Chief Joel Thacker told council members that 54 houses and 13 businesses in the city were damaged in the storm. Five houses and six businesses sustained major damage.
Thacker said two businesses, who he did not identify, have not been able to reopen, and those business owners are working with their insurance companies and are in touch with city staff.
“They’re still sorting out what they need and through their insurance company about how they can quickly get back up and going,” Thacker said about business owners.
He added that residents who cannot stay in their houses have found temporary living arrangements through their insurance companies, families and friends.
City Council members also discussed ways to set in place a long-term plan to help homeowners and business owners in an emergency.
“It became apparent that we don’t really have a mechanism in writing and codified that outlines what kind of support the city is going to give when something like this happens again,” Councilor Matthew Snyder said.
On Thursday, members of the Carmel City Council approved up to $250,000 to assist with emergency disaster relief efforts.
Council members will continue discussing a long-term emergency response plan, and they might hold a committee meeting on Monday to continue discussing short-term solutions to help business owners recover from the storm.
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