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Point Place still rebuilding, one year after tornado

One year later, Point Place residents are still talking about the powerful EF-2 tornado.

TOLEDO, Ohio — June 15th marks one-year since an EF-2 tornado hit Point Place in Toledo, causing severe damage to homes and businesses.

A year later, some of those locations are still waiting for major repairs.  

"It was shocking. I couldn't believe it, and it happened," said Point Place resident Pamela Prater.

Prater has lived in the area for more than three decades. 

She says she never saw weather like that in the area.

"It was crazy. I've been here 32 years, and I've never seen a tornado in Point Place," said Prater. "My house got hit pretty hard, and I've had a real hard time getting anything. It'll be a year, and I still have work to be done. It's been a long process." 

Credit: WTOL

The EF-2 tornado was one of the most damaging tornados to ever touch down in the city and was responsible for a lot of damage.  Major debris and wreckage was tossed into yards on top of homes and even one apartment building. 

The Anchor Inn, a local bar sits right across the street from two buildings that aren't there anymore, having been destroyed by the tornado.

"We can see over to the northwest here, and all of a sudden it just started swirling", said Anchor Inn owner Charlie Disbennett. 

Disbennett says the tornado was a life changing event.

He's proud to say his bar served as a safe place. 

"And then we got everybody out of the back patio, took them down to the basement, and the building across the street was just totally knocked down, and it destroyed that," said Disbennett. 

He says they were lucky.

"But for something only being 100 yards away, we were very fortunate that nobody got hurt here. We were out of power for a while, and that was about it," said Disbennett. 

A year later some residents of River Bend Apartments say things are good and they are thankful no one lost their life in the tornado. 

"All of us that were here that night remember everyone. And we all remember it in our own separate ways, but yeah, we remember it. And we talk about it, and we're just so glad that we all survived it, by the grace of God," said David Fleeson.

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