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by Susie Taylor

Farmers in Northwest Ohio will be busy until planting time next spring cleaning up debris left behind after tornadoes ripped through the Buckeye State on a Sunday evening a few weeks ago.

"We’re talking about shards of metal and glass and splinters of wood that could puncture a tractor tire," according to Kendra Heffelfinger, OFBF organization director for Defiance, Paulding, Putnam and Van Wert counties. And the debris is spread 10 to 12 miles away from the path of the storm. "People will actually have to walk the fields to pick up all the trash the storm left behind."

But that clean-up will come this winter after the ground freezes and dumpsters can be moved in. The immediate needs are to dismantle unsafe structures, find homes for people who lost nearly everything and start the rebuilding process, according to OFBF President Terry McClure of Paulding County.

Killer thunderstorms spawning tornadoes killed 35 people and injured dozens in five states the evening of Nov. 10 and early morning of Nov. 11. The hardest hit counties in Ohio were Ottawa, Seneca, Paulding, Putnam and Van Wert, but damage occurred throughout the storm’s path across the northern part of the state. Five people in Ohio were killed, dozens were left homeless and hundreds are jobless after their businesses and places of employment were destroyed. As of press time, the five Ohio counties listed above had received governor-issued emergency declarations.

McClure reported into the state office the morning of Nov. 11 that he and his wife, Lisa, could see the tornado closest to them, but that at their home "you couldn't even tell the wind blew." McClure said he’s "thankful to have escaped damage" but that he and his family will be busy "helping friends and neighbors clean up."

Later in the week, McClure was quick to point out that the real story coming out of the destruction is the way the people within the community are reacting. "You just don’t realize how much a community can pull together until you need to," he said. "Everybody’s involved, and I’ll bet you could find that in every community up and down the line of the storm."

Hundreds of volunteers from other counties in Ohio and from other states "showed up" to work, he said. "We were lucky that we didn’t have damage; we were just like all the other neighbors out there trying to help -- just like all the other people who came with equipment and just started working."

At press time, the most urgent need was to get families in temporary housing before the weather turned cold and snowy, McClure said.

"Folks from Williams County came down; people just showed up; folks brought in equipment -- it wasn’t coordinated, it just happened; some Amish folks from Richland County came," McClure said.

"This is what happens when you get people together who know how to work," McClure said. "When farmers come in and volunteer, you can get a lot done."

Heffelfinger said County Farm Bureaus wishing to offer assistance could do so by contributing to rescue and recovery efforts through agencies like the United Way, Salvation Army and American Red Cross.

Several toll-free hotlines have been established for Ohioans to seek assistance and information related to the storm and tornado damage:

* American Red Cross -- 866-GET INFO

* Ohio Department of Insurance -- 800-686-1526

* Ohio Department of Job and Family Services -- 877-644-6562

* Ohio Department of Commerce -- 800-523-3581

* Attorney General of Ohio Consumer Protection -- 800-282-0515

Other reports of damage came from Laura Lamalie, wife of OFBF State Trustee Ed Lamalie, of Ottawa County the morning of Nov. 11:

"We had major damage in our area as well -- Fostoria, Tiffin, Port Clinton -- five dead last night… Most of the power in the entire area was out last night… We saw one of the tornadoes moving north past us on State Route 53, toward Port Clinton. We have a boat, a side of a house, plus parts and pieces of lumber, roofs and siding in our fields this morning."

From State Trustee Gary Baldosser of Seneca County the afternoon of Nov. 11:

"We have a big mess to clean up, but nothing can compare to seven of our neighbors who had their houses leveled… Our house received only superficial damage, but our big barn was flattened and our small machine shed was moved off the foundation. With a little close chainsaw work, we did get all the steers out of the rubble and they seem to be doing well… I had two maxi-rolls of tile (about 6600 feet) that were lifted and shredded into 10-foot sections and scattered about 5+ miles along the path."

Many other state departments and agencies worked during the first week to help with clean-up including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio National Guard.