Belcourt area residents recovering after tornado
By KIM FUNDINGSLAND, Staff Writer, kfundingsland@minotdailynews.comArticle Photos
BELCOURT On July 7, a tornado, some say as many as five massed together, erased a 20-mile-long path through the hills just north of this community before shattering a complete neighborhood in Rolla. The storm stuck without warning on an otherwise sunny afternoon. There was no rain and no unusally high winds or gathering storm clouds that might have raised awareness.
"It was a beautiful day and no one could imagine that there would be a tornado that day," said Martin Peltier. "I thank God that it was only me up there that day and not my kids. They could have been killed or maimed for life."
Peltier was watching television at his home approximately one mile north of Belcourt when he heard the wind come up suddenly. He stepped outside and was shocked by powerful winds.
"It terrified me," admitted Peltier. "By the time I made it halfway down the basement the house was already up in the air. The whole basement wall fell down and crushed me. I was out for a while and dazed. I figured out I was alive but I was in a lot of pain."
Today, Peltier is slowly recovering from his numerous injuries. Doctors tell him that he should be able to regain about 90 percent of his previous movement.
"I started praying and crying and fighting and doing everything I could to get out from underneath that weight," said Peltier. "I wanted to give up a couple of times and let myself die. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. I was thinking about my children. I had a newborn that was two weeks old. I kept kicking and screaming and tearing myself up as I was doing it."
Peltier's pelvis and tailbone are now held together with pins and screws. The rebuilding of his home has not yet begun. He had been there for only three months, working to make it a better place for his family.
"Little by little I was trying to get a nice place there, not just a house but a home," said Peltier. "In a couple of seconds it was all gone. A guy fights so hard for what little he gets. It doesn't come easy. The tribe has been trying to help me and I'm thankful for that and I appreciate all the people in the hospital. We're just hoping we can pull everything back together again and try to start our lives again. I'll keep battling. I've been through a lot of things in my life and I'm a fighter and want to do good for my family and community."
A total of 55 homes were damaged in the July tornado. Twelve of them, including Peltier's, have been declared a total loss. Miraculously, no one was killed in the storm that invaded with a fury never before witnessed in that area of the Turtle Mountains.
"I got the call and when I looked towards town I could see a pontoon in the air above the trees swirling. My knees started shaking," said Anita Blue, tribal emergency manager. "Everybody was scared. We'd never witnessed anything like that before. We didn't get a lot of warning."
To date, none of the destroyed homes have been rebuilt and many of the damaged homes have not been repaired. The tornado had stuck a severe blow to one of the most poverty stricken areas in North Dakota.
"Our tribe is not capable of recovering from the tornado on our own," said Blue. "We don't have an emergency fund to help these people recover so we have to rely on local, state and federal agencies."
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, donations of money, clothing and blankets came from throughout the area. One person drove from Jamestown to donate clothes and money. Red Cross offices from Minot and Bismarck responded with food and tarps to help cover the holes on damaged rooftops.
"The Red Cross was wonderful. The governor has been here and the state people will come any day we want. They are just wonderful," remarked Blue. "It was wonderful to have people care and it was moving to see how people responded to our tribe."
Cash donations are still being accepted at Turtle Mountain State Bank in Belcourt, but the relief fund has been slow to grow since the days immediately following the storm. The estimated damage in the area is $500,000, less than the $1 million required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to receive public assistance. Also, FEMA requires that communities have 100 or more homes declared total losses before offering individual assistance, far more than the 12 homes totaled at Belcourt.
"We do have a verbal agreement to get us 12 FEMA trailers but have not yet finalized the paperwork," said Blue this past Thursday. "Even if we get them, they'll likely be trailers for the South, without furnaces or insulation. Estimates are that it will cost over $20,000 per trailer to winterize them and the snow is going to fly soon."
Displaced families have been forced to find shelter elsewhere in the Belcourt area. According to Blue, most are understanding and have shown a great deal of patience.
"They know that without insurance and without our tribe having a pot of money, they'll have to wait until we get it anyway we can," said Blue.
Some of the tarps nailed down as a temporary fix on damaged homes are still in place today, nearly two months after the tornado. Weather beaten by rainstorms, wind and summer sun, leaky tarps have resulted in further damage to the homes upon which they were installed to protect.
"The most concern right now is getting our people with the tarps some help," said Bonnie Delorme, tribal emergency office. "You drive by their beautiful homes and they are all tarred now. The tarps are tattered and torn off. Winter is coming and you know how winters are. It's very hard to see."
The tribe has applied for an Eminent Threat Grant through Housing and Urban Development. However, HUD has a $450,000 ceiling on such grants, less than the $500,000 required to repair the estimated damage caused by the storm.
"Our only hope is the Eminent Threat Grant. That's the only way to get our people fixed," stated Blue.
Compounding the problem is the area in which the tornado cut its path of destruction. It walloped those who could least afford to lose anything and do not have the financial resources to rebuild.
"When we drove through the area of devastation, we realized it hit some of our poorest people, and your heart is heavy because you know they are never going to be able to afford, on their fixed income, a new roof or fix a window that was shattered. You just know that," said Delorme. "We need to find anyway we can to help our people."
While help is still be sought to repair physical damage to the Belcourt area, a more difficult task may be the repairing of emotional damage. Although counselors have worked with children affected by the storm, evidence of their emotional trauma surfaced during recent tornado drills conducted at Belcourt schools. Some of the students needed reassurance that the drill was not the real thing. Their fear was evident and may take a considerable amount of time to overcome.
"My daughter, who turns 8 on Monday, now asks me every time the weather is changing if it's a tornado," remarked Delorme. "You need to let her know and comfort her."
Similar stories are told throughout the region. That the storm struck some with life-changing impact is unquestioned.
"One lady laid on her grandkids in a tub in a trailer house because, she said, if somebody was going to go it was going to be her first. They all screamed as the tornado picked them up, hovered them and smacked them down. It did it three times. When you talk to them about it now they just start crying," said Blue. "It's been lots of prayers and lots of hope that keeps these people going."
