TOLEDO, Ohio — The sound of leaf blowers clearing glass, chainsaws chucking wood chips in the air and tarps waving in the wind trying to cover missing roof shingles are common sights and sounds in Point Place, three weeks after an EF-2 tornado tore through the area.
"We're trying to clean up the park and get all the hazard trees out," Ryan Whitson, who works for Davey Tree Experts, said. "A lot of the people we were helping out were right where the tornadoes touched down. The stuff was on houses, in the powerlines, on people's cars. It was very overwhelming, very sad."
Across from Cullen Park, where Whitson was working at Thursday, is Gary's Automotives. Co-owner David Thomas described the work done since the tornado struck.
"We've done a lot of cleanup," Thomas said. "Probably took about five to six guys, four 30-yard dumpsters, two 40-yard dumpsters and a lot of hard work in this hot weather."
With Thursday's highs being in the upper 80s, both men were sweating as they continued to clean.
"The process is, your business is completely gone and you're just trying to do what you need to do to get back up in business and go up from there," Thomas said.
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.
Click here to get on the list!