Montebello tornado: Recovery efforts underway

Mobile help centers pop up to help Montebello businesses hit by rare tornado

Dozens of Montebello business owners and employees showed up at mobile help centers to help them get back on their feet after Wednesday's rare tornado.

MONTEBELLO, Calif. - The rain and wind may have stopped, but the troubles are just beginning for business owners in Montebello.

The strongest tornado to hit the Los Angeles Metro area in 40 years ripped through parts of Montebello late Wednesday morning, causing damage to multiple buildings in the area.

On Friday, dozens of business owners and employees showed up at a mobile help center set up by LA County's Department of Consumer Affairs and the City of Montebello to help those affected by the rare tornado.

It's a snowball effect of damage from this week’s freak tornado. Some still have no power, others can’t start cleanup until fire officials make sure there’s no asbestos or other dangerous material in the debris.

"We have no electricity and apparently the building next door that was severely damaged had asbestos possibly, and so we can't even pick up the debris. I can't even bring my employees back to work," said business owner Elizabeth Aparicio.

Operators of ice cream trucks, parked in one business, can’t move their trucks due to windshields and roofs damaged by flying debris. Most say they can’t afford the insurance deductibles they are responsible for.

A tornado recovery rapid response resource fair is scheduled to help businesses and employees connect with the resources they need. The event will be held Tuesday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Ark Montebello on 931 S Maple Ave, Montebello, CA 90640.

Multilingual help will be available, in Spanish, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) Korean and Armenian.