TOLEDO, Ohio — While everyone is grateful there were no injuries reported after a tornado hit Point Place, frustration is setting in for some homeowners because of the mess left behind.
But thanks to helpful neighbors and local aid organizations, like Impact with Hope, things are starting to look up. The non-profit is helping area residents clean up their yards and giving any assistance they can.
Arika Perales on Ottawa River Road is feeling lost. She said she heard that it will be days until her power is back on, which will cause problems for all the hundreds of dollars worth of food she has in her freezer.
"I tried calling my insurance agent, but he's out here at the Point. So, I assume he's very busy and overwhelmed," Perales said. "I just don't know what I can do."
She said friends and family were camping in Hale, Michigan for her birthday. They all got some calls about a tornado back at home. They had actually planned on being home the day of the tornado but decided to stay another day in Michigan.
Perales got back the day after the storm to find her home mostly intact, apart from the branch through the roof. Since they were three hours away when the storm happened, her 11-year-old daughter, Zoe Bock, was very concerned.
"We have a cat. We didn't know if he was okay, because we seen that and it was just really chaotic," Zoe said.
Impact with Hope Coordinator, Jason Ruiz, stationed the nonprofit's command center at Suder Avenue and Benore Road to help residents with whatever they needed from lawn care to phone chargers or food.
"We're here to provide immediate relief for anybody we can, in whatever way that is," Ruiz said.
The center has a designated drop-off location for any donor financial contributions or supplies. Ruiz and his wife, Brooke, are offering those in need drinks and food, gas for generators and tools for cleaning up debris.
"It's important that we take care of things here at home and that we're here for our immediate community when something like this happens," Ruiz said. "We've also set up a donation center. At 7606 Bridgeway Dr., there's a temporary donation center in Temperance (Michigan) to help out in that area as well. Our warehouse and distribution center for normal donations is on Farnsworth in Waterville."
Homeowner Sean Jacobs on Ottawa River Road said the eye of the tornado was directly over his home at one point. While he's not thrilled about any of the mess the storm left behind, he's able to find the positive, while his lawn is full of negative reminders.
"I met some really great people. I mean if tragedy has to do something, at least it brought people together. So everybody kind of came together and you can see there's a lot of progress," Jacobs said.
He's looking forward to hearing what his tax dollars are going to do in terms of helping residents affected by the storm.
Another person looking on the bright side is 11-year-old Daci Stasazak. She shared some wise words of advice.
"Just look at the bright side that you're okay and your family is okay, your friends, and just everything will turn out good at, like, the end of the day," Daci said.
In addition to organizations like Impact with Hope helping out, there's also a Facebook page called Point Place Tornado Volunteer, where residents can both ask for help or offer help to those in need.
Click here to find out more information.