Residents in hardest hit storm areas reflect on damage
Published 9:06 am Thursday, March 2, 2017
In the wake of an EF-1 tornado, 105 mile an hour winds left a trail of downed power lines, uprooted trees and debris. According to the weather service, the EF-1 classification is one of the lowest levels of damage, with the most severe classified as an EF-5.
By Wednesday, authorities surveying the neighborhoods said the brunt force of the damage was along 12th and Regis streets up to 17th and Eagle streets.
Despite the damage, there have yet to be any reports of injuries, according to City Administrator Ric Huff.
For residents along Howard Street and across 15th and 16th streets neighbors consistently described the roar of the wind and rain that struck Tuesday.
Kimberly Jaeger was relaxing at home at 518 Fifteenth St. With her laptop open, Jaeger was focused on Facebook and playing games when suddenly she heard the sound of breaking glass. Across the room Dave Jenkins, who also lives at the residence, watched as their front dining room window burst inward, sending shards of glass, mud and debris flying against the opposite wall.
“It was the loudest squealing, screeching air rushing sound I have ever heard in my life,” Jenkins said.
Moving quickly, Jaeger and Jenkins gathered up their dog and cat and took shelter in the basement, where they waited out the bulk of the storm.
On Wednesday morning, Jenkins peered out the broken dining room window. A tree with a trunk as thick as barrel had crashed into the front yard and where there had once been a garage, there was only debris. Inside the home, broken shards of glass littered the floor, among knocked over household items, mixed with mud, and a 4-foot branch that had forced its way through the kitchen ceiling.
Jenkins and Jaeger said they have lived at the residence a little over a year.
To the east of Jenkins and Jaeger at 518 N. 16th, Roger Rader was home with his wife and three children. The family was gathered in the kitchen that evening.
“It [sounded like it] was a freight train,” Rader said. “You heard just grumbling like a freight train coming.”
The family hurried into the basement, Rader said. He then described how the house shook for what felt like 20 seconds. Their ears also popped, he said.
The force of the storm was clear Wednesday as Rader began the cleanup process like many of his neighbors.
Debris strewn across the backyard and fallen tree was not far beyond it. The side of the house was full of holes where hail had shot through the plaster. The siding on the west side of the house had also been partially torn away.
“The craziest thing about it was most winds are coming from the west. The winds blew like they were coming from the south to the north,” Rader said.
Neighbors called out to one another, some still wearing pajamas as the cleanup phase continued.
Resident Primitiva Rodriquez, of 524 N. 16th St., pointed out her pillows lying among the debris about 6 feet from her house.
Like the Raders, Rodriguez said she also felt her whole house shake as the storm raged Tuesday night.
Rodriquez was the only one in the house that night. She said she was half asleep, when the roar of the storm alarmed her.
“I heard the thunder and the lightening and the house just started shaking,” Rodriquez said. “Trees were flying everywhere and the wind was blowing. You could hear it coming through the windows. It was bad.”
Rodriquez tried to run down the stairs, but the house was shaking so much that she said it caused her to fall.
Once she reached the downstairs, Rodriquez said she heard a tree outside the front of the house fall onto the roof. Rodriquez also thought she detected a gas leak and went to notify authorities.
At that time, the fire department had arrived. They shut off the gas and told her for safety reasons she should find another place to stay.
Rodriquez said she went to a family member’s house for the night.
Fire Chief Larry Lamb advised all residents in debris heavy areas to practice extreme caution and watch for downed lines, some of which may still be active he said.
Mayor Nick Shelton spent Wednesday morning talking with residents and surveying damage. He thanked the many crews that had been working hard since Tuesday night to restore neighborhoods.
“It was a rough storm, but I am really proud of the street department and utility department of working so hard,” Shelton said.
Niles Township Supervisor Jim Stover said that there had been no reports of damage following Tuesday night’s storm. All residents in Niles Township also had power, he said.
