HOLLY, Colo.-
A week after a tornado ripped through this small town, Rosemary Rosales Puga was remembered as a good wife, mother, sister and daughter as hundreds gathered Wednesday at the St. Frances of Rome Catholic Church spared by the twister.
“She was a good person,” said Shaina Garcia, 21, of Pueblo, a cousin of Rosales Puga.
Some 600 people in the town of about 1,000 peopel attended Puga’s funeral.
Classes for schoolchildren were to resume Thursday for the first time since the tornado.
A preliminary review by emergency officials determined that the tornado March 28 damaged 11 businesses and 164 homes, or about a third of the houses in town.
One concern is finding homes for those who lost their houses to the tornado in a town with not much vacant rental stock. Prowers County Administrator Linda Fairbairn estimated there were at least 30 displaced families.
Gov. Bill Ritter meanwhile turned to the U.S. Small Business Administration in the state’s latest efforts to seek help for victims.
Earlier this week, Ritter authorized up to $1 million in emergency funds to cover temporary housing, mental-health and infrastructure costs and declared the town a disaster area to pave the way for federal aid. Ritter is seeking a declaration from the SBA to provide low-interest loans to tornado victims.
School Superintendent Carolyn Yokum said offers of assistance have come in from around the state, and students would not have to worry about replacing any books, athletic uniforms or other school property that may have been lost in the storm.
Meanwhile, the town, businesses and agencies have been working to clear debris and restore services such as electricity, gas and phone service.
Other recovery efforts could take months.
A warehouse has been set up in Lamar, where donations of material goods will be routed, sorted, and stored.
