A recent report discusses demolitions and properties marked for demolition in Gallatin TN 37066 (Sumner County) as a result of the recent FEMA Presidential Declared Disaster.

Some may never get to step inside their storm-damaged houses again

Some Gallatin residents whose homes sustained tornado damage are being kept out of the ruins for their own safety, city officials said.

Engineering and codes officials spent yesterday going from house to house to make a determination about which homes are salvageable and which are not, Gallatin building official Elaine Nichols said.Officials are marking the houses with spray paint using the designation "LE" for limited entry, "EP" for entry prohibited and "DE" in black for demolish. City officials had not determined how many would be in each category.

Any property owner whose house is marked for limited entry must read the note left on the structure specifying which part of the house is safe to enter. If the structure is marked "prohibited entry" or "demolish," that means homeowners cannot go inside. Those who ignore the markings and enter unsafe structures are breaking the law and are subject to being stopped by police, Nichols said.

Nichols and her staff will present the City Council tonight with a list of properties that officials have determined should be demolished.

"That doesn't mean that the bulldozers are coming tomorrow," Nichols said.

Homeowners who disagree with the city's determination can hire their own engineer to contradict the city's findings, City Attorney Joe Thompson said.

"We have to look at that on a case-by-case basis. This city will make every effort to very carefully evaluate each structure."

Once the City Council receives the list from Nichols, the city will review those findings and "coordinate that list with the insurance teams, make sure we're on the same page with those lists and, if there's a difference, we'll try to contact the homeowners to find out what they want to do," Thompson said.

If demolition occurs, the city has determined that, in a majority of cases, homeowner's insurance will cover homes damaged beyond repair, Thompson said.

"Right now … it appears a significant number are covered."

The city has not yet determined who will pay for the demolition of homes not covered by insurance.

"It may depend on how many houses that we're dealing with," Thompson said.

Mayor Don Wright and Nichols both pointed out that the city will extensively review structures before making a determination on demolition.

"On the houses that are going to be demolished, there would be no chance that we are making a mistake on them. We are going to be working with the insurance companies and the homeowners," Wright said.

The council meets at 6 p.m. in the mayor's conference room at City Hall, 132 W. Main St. •