More than three months after a series of tornadoes tore through Ohio, the deadline for victims to apply for federal assistance is closing.
So far, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $3 million in grants for people across 11 Ohio counties: Auglaize, Crawford, Darke, Delaware, Hancock, Licking, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Richland and Union.
Tornadoes wreaked havoc in parts of those counties in March. In Logan County, about 70 miles northwest of Columbus, a twister struck a mobile home community near Indian Lake, killed three people, destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged thousands more. The area is still recovering.
“We have several families that are still living in hotels,” said Mike Yoder, president of the county’s commissioners. “And we have many that have gotten new places to live on a temporary basis.”
“I think the biggest challenge remaining is simply that of making sure these folks find a good place to live and making sure that we keep them going.”
How has financial aid helped?
In the weeks immediately following the tornado, the United Way of Logan County raised more than $1.5 million for victims.
The money was used to help 548 households with things like home and car repairs, security deposits for new housing, hotel stays and to replace prescription medications that were lost in the storm.
“The biggest challenge remaining is simply that of making sure these folks find a good place to live and making sure that we keep them going.”Mike Yoder, President of the Logan County Commissioners
“FEMA came in after that,” Yoder said.
The agency has connected nearly 400 households in Ohio with federal funds and has served more than 800 visitors at recovery centers.
What are the biggest needs now?
Going forward, Yoder said housing remains a top priority.
“Our first goal is trying to make sure we get housing back here as quickly as possible,” he said. “There were students from the local Indian Lake School — 50 some of them — that were completely displaced.”
He said the county is working to help those families relocate within the Indian Lake Local School District.
“We want to get those folks back into the Indian Lake District as soon as possible so that the students who have this trauma of their house blowing away, have the ability to get back to school and be back with their friends and their teachers and all those people that they know.”
Additionally, the county has been running a resource center where people can pick up essential supplies. Yoder said demand for those supplies is slowing. He anticipates the service will wrap up by the end of July.
In the meantime, he says Indian Lake is open for business and summer tourism is strong.
“Everything is going very well considering where we were just a few months ago,” he said.
