TOLEDO, Ohio — Point Place residents are still recovering after an EF-2 tornado tore through their neighborhood earlier this month. With the experience of the June 15 tornado behind them, they want to be prepared for the next time severe weather hits the area.
Barb Blank, 73, has lived at the River Bend Apartments for almost half her life. After retiring in 2013, the former medical transcriptionist likes to spend her downtime relaxing in her backyard. It's not the same after the tornado, though.
"The day of the tornado, I was on the back porch here and saw it coming," she said of the June 15 tornado.
Blank said she had only seconds to come up with a plan, and at some point in that process, she was hit in the head.
"It was a couple of days later I finally crashed and realized what happened to me," Blank said.
Blank said the adrenaline was high, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her tornado experience didn't match up with her neighbors. She didn't remember parts of the tornado that her neighbors did.
"I realized that there was a sound that happened like a freight train and the building shook that I didn't have a memory of, and so I went to my doctor and he checked me out," she said.
She said her doctor told her she met the criteria for the diagnosis of a mild concussion.
While Point Place continues to clean up the damage, Blank said the tornado could have caused trauma for many residents, and that being sensitive to their experiences is important.
"Listen to anyone's story no matter how big or little it is," she said.
Be prepared for severe weather
Preparation for events like the June 15 is crucial, and can even save your life, Toledo Fire & Rescue Pvt. Sterling Rahe said.
He recommends having a storm kit packed for weather emergencies, including items like extra clothes, a weather radio, spare batteries, a first aid kit, water and non-perishable foods.
"These are kits that are designed to sustain you for a period of time when waiting for maybe someone to rescue you," Rahe said.
He also recommended establishing an emergency plan with loved ones.
"It's good to do your research and make sure you have a plan in place with your family, everyone in the residence, [so they know] where to go and how to get there," Rahe said.