Tornado Fund Distribution to Start

The Revere Tornado Relief Fund (RTRF) Executive Director and Administrator, Attorney Gerry Leone, along with the Revere Tornado Relief Fund Board of Directors and Applications Committee, announced a timetable for the release of monies to be distributed to residents and business owners impacted by the tornado back in July.

Mayor Dan Rizzo has announced that starting the week of December 15th, his office will be sending notifications to those residents and businesses that will be receiving assistance

Leone and his Committee met on Tuesday to sift though the final details of the distributions.

“Everything is going fine with the process,” he said this week. “We really can’t complain where it’s entirely voluntary  and people are giving out of the generosity of their hearts. You always wish you had more money to give, but we have $250,000 and we are at a point where we are ready to make decisions.”

He said there are about 146 people who will benefit and the range of benefits are between $500 and $2,000. There are about six that fall below that range, he said.

Leone’s Applications Committee completed a thorough review of all submitted claims and supporting documentation that was received by the widely publicized Sept. 15 and Oct. 24 deadlines, and determined allocation of assistance payments in accordance with the Fund’s guidelines. In addition to significant individualized application analysis, the Application’s Review Committee engaged in a collective assessment of applicant unmet needs and the corresponding RTRF Fund amount.

“We are grateful to everyone who generously donated to the Revere Tornado Relief Fund, and we are honored to have played a role in allocating assistance across Revere’s central business district and adjoining neighborhoods. We know that the amount of monies that we have at our disposal cannot begin to fully compensate people for their losses due to the tornado, but we are heartened to know that their burdens will be lightened during this holiday season.” explained Nixon Peabody Attorney Gerry Leone.

Leone added that a large majority of those who qualified for the fund’s monies will be helped with their insurance deductibles.

“Revere truly came together as a community and has helped raise significant funds to support this effort over the past five months,” said Mayor Rizzo. “I am thankful to Gerry Leone, Eric Walz, Michael Falzone, David Surface, Ron Corbett Jr., Benny DeChristoforo, and Frank Perullo, all of whom have donated countless hours to make this fund possible. I am also deeply grateful to the over 700 residents and business that donated to the Fund.”