Recovery efforts remain ongoing in Perry one year after a tornado tore through the city’s government buildings, infrastructure and homes.
The Aug. 11, 2023 tornado, rated EF-1 after reaching peak winds near 95 mph, resulted in over $500,000 in damages along its three-mile path, including the complete destruction of Perry’s veterans park pavilion, three public works buildings and one of its outdoor warning sirens.
“Our progress has been slow and steady,” said Mayor Sue Hammond.
Even though the total cost for repairs was outside what the city could pay for, the damage wasn’t enough to qualify Perry for federal assistance.
“Catastrophic damage is the definition that we were told that we didn’t satisfy that criteria,” said Hammond.
To cover the costs for repairs, city officials turned to fundraising efforts from local businesses and residents. So far, the community has managed to raise $40,000 in donations.
“Which doesn't sound like a lot, but for a city of 2,200 people I think that’s a lot,” said Hammond. “And then we did have some insurance money, although it wasn't the full replacement insured.”
With the funds, the city has nearly completed the restoration of the veteran’s park pavilion and its tornado warning siren.
“We now again have two sirens. One is more toward the center of town and then the second one is more toward the southwest section of town,” Hammond explained.
Today, downed trees remain in parts of the town and piles of debris are scattered across the city, both serving as reminders of the ongoing repairs needed. Despite that, city officials say they are hopeful and have formed the Perry Emergency Response Team to better prepare for the next disaster.
“I think that it will be a good benefit for the future for any event, be it weather related or any type of emergency response,” said Hammond. “We’ve been going through all different types of scenarios so I think that will be very helpful.”
The city is expecting to receive $200,000 in state relief funds to rebuild the remaining public works buildings that were destroyed, with the goal of being operational by next summer.
