Ohio residents in Windham rally to clean, rebuild after tornado

Two days after a tornado ripped through Windham Township, felled trees were being removed, revealing damage to homes and, in many cases, causing community spirit to grow.

In the Windham Cemetery, Windham residents, high school students and inmates from the Portage County Jail made quick work of fallen trees.

Ryan Shackelford, director of the Portage County Emergency Management Agency, reported on Friday that 25 homes had been inspected as of Friday afternoon, and five were destroyed. Two others had significant damage.

Windham trustees plan a special meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday at township hall, 9011 N. Main St. in Windham, to discuss options with residents dealing with storm damage. The EMA will attend.

Tornado details

The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday in Windham and lasted until about 6:51 p.m. The tornado traveled nearly 4 miles at a peak of 110 mph.

Wednesday's storm also caused damage on the Ohio Turnpike. Officials reported three commercial vehicles were upended on the eastbound side at milepost 202.8 in Portage County.

Residents still cleaning up

Although Friday's light rain meant fewer residents were out clearing brush, some were still hard at work cleaning up storm damage.

At Amanada Schaffer's Crestview Drive home, a large tree upended at its roots was seen Thursday leaning against the house. By Friday afternoon, it was gone, leaving only the sight of significant roof damage.

Brush Bandit Tree Service, the company that had removed the tree, was turning its attention to other fallen trees on the property. Schaffer said a steady stream of family and friends had come to check on her family, as well as the American Red Cross. She said she and her fiancé had received a donation of groceries.

"The outpouring has just been amazing," she said.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office, where Schaffer works, had sent extra patrols to the home. Some of the wood was set ablaze in a fire pit, which Schaffer said was meant mostly to keep people warm.

Like many other affected families, Schaffer and her fiancé were staying with family who live nearby.

Schaffer noted that teachers at the Windham Exempted Village School District had pooled together to donate a wood chipper to the relief efforts, and high school students also volunteered. The MAK Dumpster Rental company also donated several roll-off containers to handle debris. United Home Maintenance donated a truck, and owner Matt Hickman was helping out.

"Nobody rallies quite like Windham rallies," she said.

Cleveland resident finds help at Turnpike plaza

Mike Gillis, a Cleveland resident, was driving Wednesday on the Turnpike during the storm, making his way home from Pittsburgh. He decided to stop at the rest stop at mile post 197 in Portage County to get a cup of coffee and wait out the storm.

He said employees at the plaza took those inside to a basement storage area once they received notifications to seek shelter. Gillis said he helped an employee tell 20 people to head to the basement.

"Amidst the storage lockers of food, soda and all the other items sold at the rest stop, I conversed with others there including truck drivers, turnpike workers, employees of Wendy's, Jimmy Johns and Dunkin Donuts − many of them teenagers," Gillis said. "Motorists who made the same decision as I did were there too. I had a very nice conversation with a couple from Seattle traveling cross country in an RV with their now-frightened dog. It was a surreal moment."

When Gillis got home, he found out the storm included a tornado. He said he started to think about the "aptitude and professionalism" of the employee who made a snap decision to get everyone to safety.

"She knew what to do, and she knew to do it immediately," he said. "I kept thinking about people who do their job every day and do it well − especially when it matters most. I would like to nominate this woman for turnpike employee of the year, if there is such a thing. Anyway, I think she deserves some recognition.."

Disaster relief available

Case managers from the Red Cross and Portage County Job and Family Services were set up at the Renaissance Community Center, which has become a one-stop shop for community relief efforts. The Salvation Army also was serving meals to residents.

Shackelford noted that since few people were going to the community center, case managers also were going directly to homes. Many of those displaced from their homes are staying with family members who live nearby.

Area residents were invited to make contributions to the newly created Portage County Disaster Relief Fund, through the Portage Foundation.

The Portage Foundation and Portage County Emergency Management Agency have teamed up to form the Portage County Disaster Relief Fund. The foundation will be the hub that accepts all monetary donations in the event of large-scale disasters affecting Portage residents.

Shackelford said the Windham community will be notified when the application process opens for disaster relief funding. He estimates that will start in several weeks, once residents have some idea of their financial condition.

Donations to the Portage County Disaster Relief Fund will be accepted via credit card through the foundation website at: https://portagefoundation.org/pcdrf/ or through the foundation’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PortageFoundation.

Checks may be made payable to The Portage Foundation, with a designation of “Windham Tornado” in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to The Portage Foundation, P.O. Box 623, Kent, OH 44240. Cash or check donations may also be dropped off at Portage Community Bank branches in the name of the Portage County Disaster Relief Fund.

The fund’s Donation Coordinating Team will provide direct payments to residents who go through an application process. Payments will be based on need. The team will include representatives of The Portage Foundation, the impacted area, Portage County EMA, Portage County Jobs and Family Services and other volunteer organizations. The non-profit foundation will receive 5% of donations for administration and distribution activities.

Shackelford said Neighborhood Development Services, PMHA and Habitat for Humanity will help the residents to rebuild their homes. Portage County, he noted, is one of only two counties statewide that have a disaster relief plan, which is why relief efforts are being handled efficiently.

Trustees were working hard to help the residents, Shackelford noted.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Windham residents rally to help tornado victims; 5 homes destroyed