West 83rd Street explosion damage worse than expected

CLEVELAND - It’s been nearly three months since the house explosion on West 83rd Street in Cleveland and the damage is far worse than first expected.

"The damage is definitely a lot higher than we ever though the first day," said Michael Chapuran, with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization.

Chapuran has been working with the families forced from their homes, and others still living in damaged ones.

"Initially they said, about 50 houses had visible signs of damage. When we did assessments after that, it turned out to be more like 70,” said Chapuran.

Steve Svilar owns three homes on the street and has invested tens of thousands of dollars for renovations.

"I installed new windows over there. That whole wall was blown out. Fourteen windows were blown out of this house. The one next door had six or eight," Svilar said.

Some residents, including Svilar, have not received any insurance money. The damage assessments have taken longer than expected.

At first, most of the renovations appeared to be superficial. But after further investigation, many homes suffered severe structural damage.

"They found out there was actually $70,000 worth of damage on one house. Another home had $96,000 worth of damage,” said Chapuran.

Most owners who have been assessed by their insurers still haven’t decided whether to rennovate or demolish their homes.

The fate of West 83rd Street sits in limbo.