Menasha residents who lost roofs, walls and windows in the July tornado are still waiting for the city to issue raze orders that allow them to begin demolition and receive full insurance reimbursement. Without an approved order, insurers will not cover the cost of tearing down the damaged structures.
Homeowners describe frustration with the process
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs with insurance and unfortunately the city of Menasha,” said homeowner Erica Powell. “We’ve had several meetings with them and the raze order process has been extensive just to be able to demolish our home, whether we choose to rebuild or just demolish it.” Powell and her neighbor Mitchell Deniswicz are both dealing with the same obstacle.
Deniswicz added, “We’ve just been kind of waiting on answers from the city. It’s super frustrating because every time we call or contact somebody, we haven’t gotten an answer. We know we’re not the only ones going through it.”
City explains the delay and new staffing plan
Menasha Community Development Director Andrew Dane told FOX 11 that the city must follow a specific timeline once a raze order is issued. “When the city issues a raze order, it gives the homeowner 30 days to demolish. If not done in that time, the city does it and bills them for the work,” Dane said.
Dane acknowledged that a backlog of orders has created a “difficult bind” for residents still sorting out their lives after the storm. “If we would’ve gone out right away and issued these raze orders, that puts people who are still trying to sort their lives out in a difficult bind,” he explained. “It adds a whole other level of stress to somebody if they get issued a raze order and they still haven’t heard back from their insurance company.”
To address the slowdown, Dane said the department has added more staff and hired a new inspector to process orders more quickly. “We have just issued our first one this week, and we have another raft of eight raze orders that citizens have requested that we’re processing this week and plan to serve this week and next week,” he told reporters.
What residents can expect next
Powell and Deniswicz were told a raze order would be issued by Friday, but as of this writing the orders have not yet been delivered. Both homeowners remain hopeful that the increased staffing will shorten the wait and allow demolition crews to move forward.
The city’s effort to clear the backlog is part of a broader recovery plan aimed at helping Menasha families rebuild or safely remove damaged homes. While the process is still unfolding, officials say the added resources should bring relief to those left in limbo by Mother Nature’s destructive forces.
Original reporting: FOX 11 WLUK Green Bay (local) — read the source article.
