Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 15, 1993 TAG: 9308150102
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: COLONIAL HEIGHTS LENGTH: Medium
"People keep coming up to me and saying, `Gosh, I knew the Wal-Mart got hit, but I didn't know anything happened to you people,' " said Willis Blackwood, managing partner of Southgate Square.
Blackwood said the 11 businesses in his shopping center sustained about $4 million in damage from the tornado, which ripped through Colonial Heights and Petersburg on Aug. 6. Four people were killed, and nearly 200 people were injured.
While many stores in Southgate Square can reopen after repairs, several will have to be razed and rebuilt, Blackwood said. During the repairs, some stores are open for business in the center's parking lot.
Waterbeds Inc., for example, has opened a tent in the parking lot. On the other end of the lot in a trailer, The Dry Cleaner has set up shop. Temporary utility lines have been run to each business, said William L. Coleman, a Colonial Heights building official.
Across from Southgate Square, the tornado cut a 40- to 50-foot swath through the Wal-Mart discount store, where three people were killed and about 120 injured. Wal-Mart officials are planning to replace that building with a Sam's Club and construct another Wal-Mart nearby.
A temporary Wal-Mart will be built in a nearby shopping center, Wal-Mart and city officials said.
Meantime, relief and cleanup efforts have yielded significant results in the area, Coleman said. "All the scratches and wounds are healing," he said.
In Petersburg, officials said they were pleased with continued clearing of debris and initial rebuilding efforts in the city's historic Old Towne and Pocahontas Island sections.
"You can see how much we've been able to accomplish in a very short period of time, but the rebuilding process is going to take a long time," City Manager Valerie A. Lemmie said.
Volunteers, state and municipal crews, and paid contractors spent last week clearing debris and securing buildings with temporary repairs to prevent further damages.
Many roads and sidewalks have been cleared of debris, said Charles E. Dane, streets and refuse superintendent for the city.
Donations of building materials have allowed work crews to begin repairing many of the homes on Pocahontas Island, where about 50 of the 60 residences were damaged.
Among others, the state Housing and Community Development Department has donated $25,000, and The Hecht Co. has given $10,000 to the relief effort. A telethon sponsored by four television stations, 14 radio stations and two newspapers raised more than $300,000 Friday night. The telethon was to continue Saturday and today.
by CNB