Cleanup and response costs for Chattanooga after the October tornado touchdown were about $15,000, but it could have been much worse, officials said Monday.
“It was not very much,” said Richard Beeland, spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield. “If it [the tornado] were on the ground longer, it could have been devastating.”
The biggest expense for Chattanooga was almost $10,000 for the city’s Public Works Department, records show. The fire department had more than $4,000 in costs.
“It is an unexpected cost, but it’s part of what we’re here for,” Beeland said.
Lee Norris, deputy administrator for Public Works, said his department has a small contingency fund for overtime costs.
Most of the money will come out of the department’s general fund.
CITY COST OF CLEANUPThe city’s cost of response and cleanup for the tornado that touched down two weeks ago breaks down as:* Public Works: $9,754.82* Fire Department: $4,245.06* Police Department: $1,000* Land Development: $761.75* Total: $15,761.63Source: City of Chattanooga
“As far as $10,000 goes, it’s not a big deal,” he said. “We can handle that. It was all in a day’s work.”
Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman Mike Bradley said most of the damage to the agency’s property was “minimal.”
Wayne Huddleston, project manager for new construction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the damage to his agency’s property probably will cost about $25,000 to repair.
Most of the equipment the Corps of Engineers has around Chickamauga Dam for the lock expansion was not damaged, he said.
He said the lock contractors sustained about $300,000 worth of property damage.
Several trailers with computer equipment inside were damaged by the storm near the dam, he said.
One employee was inside one of the trailers and decided to get out, he said. From his truck, that employee ended up watching the trailer blow away, Huddleston said.
“We could have done a whole lot worse,” he said. “Nobody was hurt.”
Contact Cliff Hightower at chightower@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6480. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CliffHigh tower.