4 Mass. Tornado Centers To Close

June 28, 2011

Nearly one month after the deadly June 1 tornadoes ripped through western and central Massachusetts, the American Red Cross shelter at the MassMutual Center in Springfield will close Wednesday, and recovery centers in Wilbraham, Westfield and Sturbridge will close Friday.

Other centers in Springfield, West Springfield and Brimfield will remain open for now.

"We've really seen the number of folks and residents coming into those centers for face-to-face meetings start to dwindle. So the time is ripe for those to close and consolidate with some of the other recovery centers," said Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency spokesman Scott McCloud.

The American Red Cross is closing its shelter at the MassMutual Center in Springfield since the number of tornado victims staying there has declined. According to the Red Cross, more than 300 people were staying at the shelter on June 7.

The WBUR Newsroom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Earlier Coverage:

This program aired on June 28, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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