Neighbors remember victims of deadly Indian Lake tornado as community begins rebuilding
The Logan County Sheriff's office has identified two women and a man who died Thursday after a tornado struck Indian Lake.
Darla Williams, 70, and Marilyn Snapp, 81, and Neal Longfellow, 69, died from injuries suffered in the tornado outbreak that struck several parts of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The storm also injured 24 people in Logan County, the sheriff's office said.
Sandy Mackey, public affairs chief for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, said she doesn't expect more fatalities from last week's storm.
Williams and Snapp were residents of the Geiger Mobile Home Park in Lakeview, one of the areas hardest hit by the tornado outbreak.
A total of eight tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and damaging winds struck central Ohio Thursday night. The most devastating tornado was an EF3 that struck the Lakeview area at Indian Lake, located about 70 miles northwest of Columbus in Logan County.
Who are Darla Williams, Marilyn Snapp and Neal Longfellow?
Tucked away in a small corner of Lakeview is the Geiger Trailer Park, a small community of a few dozen homes. Williams' and Snapp's homes were located next to a small pond that serves as the park's focal point.
Local cleanup crews were out at the park Monday morning, using forklifts and saws to clear away the mounds of twisted metal and crumpled walls.
All that remains of Williams' and Snapp's homes are the cinderblock foundations, a few salvaged belongings and scattered debris.
Williams' neighbor Stephen Repass said he saw her often with her grandson as she took him to school and looked after him. And every time Repass went by, Williams would greet him with a wave.
"She was really nice, I mean a really nice lady. It's very sad," Repass said.
"She was always smiling," he added.
Shari Stevens, the community's resident manager, said Williams had lived in the park for around five years and was a "very vivacious and active" woman and a great friend.
"She's really going to be missed in the park. She had a great sense of humor," she said.
The storm's other victim, Marilyn Snapp, had lived in the mobile home park for around 30 years and was "kind of a fixture" in the community, Stevens said.
"She was a very nice lady. She loved to do puzzles and crafting," she said.
Gary Clifton, the mobile home park's maintenance worker, also had nothing but nice things to say about the women.
"Darla was a very nice person, would help anybody. Very friendly person," Clifton said.
"Very nice woman," he said about Snapp.
The trailer park's small size and tight-knit community has made the loss of the women "tough" on residents, Stevens said.
"Everybody feels it a little more," she said.
Longfellow lived on Orchard Island, which sits in Indian lake just off the shore from Russells Point. It was hit heavily by Thursday’s storm, which toppled boat houses, shattered homes and downed power lines.
The small island—which is connected to the shore by a single road— remained closed as of Monday afternoon to anyone except for residents and aid workers as crews continued to work on cleanup.
Indian Lake residents' home destroyed by Thursday's storms
On Sunday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in 11 counties due to the tornadoes. The proclamation requires state agencies to lend services and supplies to help the counties.
DeWine also activated the Ohio National Guard to help Logan County officials with the cleanup of public property.
Locally, multiple electricity providers are slowly restoring power to the region, and power in some areas has been fully restored, according to Mackey.
Logan County Emergency Management Agency is not accepting donations of household items or food, but they do encourage residents to donate money to the Logan County EMA's long-term recovery fund, Mackey said.
Terry Braun, who lives north of Indian Lake, gathered a box of supplies from The Lighthouse at Indian Lake Monday morning. His home is the only livable one left on his street, so he stays behind while his neighbors leave for motels and shelters.
"Everybody's gone, and I'm just kind of watching the whole neighborhood," Braun said.
The process of cleaning up the wreckage at Braun's home has been an "all day, everyday" task since the storm rolled through last week. But, he said the recovery efforts are making progress.
"They're setting (electric) poles all night long. The response has just been incredible, I just can't believe the response of this thing," he said. "They've got 20, 30 poles set already, it's incredible."
Statewide tornado drill, severe weather awareness week
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency will be launching its annual statewide tornado drill this Wednesday. At 9:50 a.m., tornado sirens around the state will sound off for three minutes, followed by seven minutes of silence. The drill is part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, which began Sunday and runs until Saturday. The goal is for communities and families to go over their emergency plans in the event of severe weather and to make sure they are prepared for events like a tornado.
bbruner@dispatch.com
NHart@dispatch.com