OAK HARBOR, Ohio — Most farms and homes up and down W. Hetwick Road and State Route 19 in Ottawa County were hit hard by the severe storms.
“When I looked out the window and saw all that turbulence and everything, you’re not believing what you’re seeing,” Jeff Webb said.
Webb said Thursday night's storms in Oak Harbor were explosive. Pieces of wood and metal stabbed through the walls of his home. Three of his cars are total losses, and so are both of his barns.
“I just saw both of the barns being ripped apart, and that’s when I knew I better get downstairs, and I was yelling for my wife,” Webb said.
Webb’s neighbors experienced severe damage too. The entire second floor of the home next door is gone, and less than a mile away, Chad Brough, had his metal barn ripped to shreds.
“It’s a mess; that’s all I can say is it’s a mess,” Brough said. “This building cost me $125,00 when I put it up and the barn. I don’t know what they are going to say on that, I have no idea.”
Ottawa County EMA Director, Fred Pettersen, told New 5 this is the biggest storm to hit since 2010.
“This area is rather sparsely populated, but those that it did affect were affected in a significant way,” Pettersen said.
A dozen homes have been damaged, varying in severity, and at least three families are displaced now under the care of the Red Cross.
“Help them get back on their feet, so they can work something out with their insurance until they have somewhere to go, but the community is fairly resilient. A lot of neighbors helping neighbors out,” Pettersen said.
Back at Webb’s, the cleanup is just getting started.
"Everything takes time,” Webb said. “All good things do, so yeah, we’ll rebuild.”
Webb said he's grateful everything damaged is replaceable because a life isn’t.
“It sounded like a freight train, just like everybody says,” Webb said. “If you hear a freight train and you don’t live by the tracks, you better go to your basement. Just lucky to be alive. A lot of people don’t make it.”
Multiple homeowners are now waiting on insurance companies to come out and assess the dollar amount of damages. No injuries were reported as a result of Thursday evening’s storms.
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