Published: 11/27/2006
Day 4: Picking up the pieces: Six families return home
By Amanda McGregor and Bruno Matarazzo Jr.Staff writers
Their homes passed the necessary inspections to get occupancy permits, which each resident copied and placed on their dashboards to drive in and out of the neighborhood past police barricades and checkpoints.
The Rhudas spent yesterday wandering the devastated neighborhood and catching up with neighbors at the Parkers' home.
"We commiserated with each other and told stories," Glenn Rhuda said. "We wanted to see how everybody's doing."
They got to move in thanks to the speedy work of a structural engineer, an electrician and a plumber - and town inspectors willing to work on a weekend.
"We were fortunate to get all those guys in Friday," Glenn Rhuda said of the contractors. "We ran down to Town Hall to get the permit and the town has been unbelievable. They came on Saturday - the electrical and plumbing inspector - and signed off and the building and fire inspector (yesterday)."
Repairs still need to be made - cracks in the wall, windows and doors - but Rhuda and his family, including an 8-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, are finally home.
Tropeano, 45, cleaned off her counters and kitchen so she could make breakfast in the morning, but there's still a lot of cleaning to be done.
The explosion's impact sent almost everything on the shelves and in the cabinets airborne.
Tropeano and her husband, Lovatt, spent the past three days navigating the permitting process and finally got to sleep in their own bed last night.
Her 16-year-old son's room sustained a lot of damage.
"I asked my son if he was comfortable sleeping in the bedroom," she said. "His bedroom was hit pretty bad and he wanted to do it. He was uncomfortable, but he wanted to do it."
Nervous about their first night back, the family planned to leave the lights on last night.
"The Police and Fire departments are patrolling the area and we've probably never been safer," Tropeano said. "But it's still a little eerie."
