THE GOVERNMENT yesterday released £700,000 in initial relief funding for properties damaged after three tornadoes ripped through Limassol on Monday morning.
A separate tornado also caused damage in the Kiti area of Larnaca.
One man was killed and 30 people were injured during the freak storms that battered the island’s coastal towns on Monday morning.
Fifty Limassol families were forced to spend the night at hotels due to the severity of the damage to their homes.
Interior Minister Andreas Panayiotou said the cost of the damage in Limassol had so far been estimated at £2.1 million, with £60,000 for Kiti.
The minister said those affected would initially receive £700,000 from the government’s relief fund for damage to buildings, but not merchandise.
The minister said the Limassol tornadoes had damaged 1,019 homes, 272 business premises and around 700 cars.
Eighty-eight residences were damaged in Kiti and 22 in the Pervolia area, Panayiotou said.
“Registration of damage to buildings has been completed while the recording of damage to stocks and merchandise continues,” Panayiotou said.
He added that the Cabinet had decided to give an initial £500 to all those whose homes were damaged and £1,000 for shop damages.
“This measure is temporary until next Thursday when damage evaluation to merchandise is completed and criteria are set so the Cabinet can decide on the final compensation,” Panayiotou said.
Compensation for merchandise will incorporate damages to Limassol’s port, where containers were torn off trucks and newly imported vehicles were destroyed during the freak storm.
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