The photo on the desktop of the Lake Township police chief might seem a torturous choice for a man still wrestling with the effects of metro Toledo's deadliest tornado in decades.
Taken outside the township's destroyed administration building the morning after the June 5 storm, it shows a row of trees whipped bare by the tornado's fury, their branches reaching helplessly toward the sky.
Behind them, an overturned police vehicle glints in the early dawn light, a poignant nod to the destruction beyond reach of the camera lens.
It's a haunting reminder of the tragedy that befell this community two months ago, killing six people and destroying dozens of buildings. But to Chief Mark Hummer, the photo is also a sign of hope.
"It shows yes, there's destruction, yes, there's devastation, but the sun's coming up," Chief Hummer said, pointing to the daylight emerging from the clouds above the trees.
"This community has been changed, and change can be adversarial. But we have a job to do, and we move forward optimistically to rebuild what we had."
Lake Township has a distance to go with that rebuilding. In fact, it is only at the start of its journey. The high school and township buildings remain in ruins. Empty lots and blown-out houses dot the landscape in the village of Millbury and surrounding areas.
But green shoots are starting to appear.
Last week, crews began demolishing half of the Lake High School building, a portion that includes the cafeteria, the field house, and the auditorium. School officials are still haggling with the insurance company over coverage for more of the building, but the demolition marks the first step toward reconstruction.
Work also has begun on resurfacing the school's football field, also badly damaged in the storm. Lake Local Superintendent Jim Witt said the field should be ready for the high school's first home game on Sept. 3.
Down the road, local officials have been salvaging everything they can from the remains of the township administration building. Demolition is set to begin there this week. Construction of a new facility, which includes the police department, should be completed by the fall of 2011, Chief Hummer said.
Across the township, in the villages of Millbury and Moline, and in tornado-ravaged parts of Fulton and Ottawa counties, recovery also is well under way on many of the homes, barns, and other property destroyed or damaged in the storms. On Main Street in Millbury, site of some of the worst devastation, construction crews and machinery are everywhere.
The surge of activity is a welcome sight for area residents and officials, who, after weeks of staring sadly at blighted buildings, are eager to pin their gazes on a happier future.
Those include Millbury parent Wendy Walters, who said her 13-year-old son has perked up since he saw the new turf being laid at the high school football field where he used to play.
"He was really excited to see that because he'll get to play on that," said Mrs. Walters, who added that her son had been feeling down about the destroyed high school. "He's started looking at the good."
Lake High School classes will be held at Owens Community College for at least the next two years, school officials say. But Mrs. Walters said that seeing reconstruction start on the old school will help keep students' spirits up.
Jeanne Rogacki, a longtime office manager for the Lake Township Police Department, is also feeling more optimistic. The cramped quarters at the department's temporary station on Lemoyne Road have been difficult for her to work in, especially because she must keep most of her files outside in the garage.
So when her boss announced Wednesday that demolition on the old building was about to begin, Ms. Rogacki was overjoyed.
"It's a big relief," she said, grappling with papers on her much-reduced desk space. "Once I see that building actually coming down, I'm going to feel OK. We're eventually going to get there."
The cheerfulness is growing despite disappointing news from the federal government, which decided not to issue a disaster declaration for the tornado-ravaged areas. Gov. Ted Strickland appealed that decision to no avail.
A lack of federal help is likely to lead to big holes in local government budgets, officials maintain.
Lake Township will have to divert money from insurance repayments to cover personnel costs and will struggle with other budget shortfalls for years to come, Chief Hummer said. Part of those losses come from the township's expenditure on overtime for emergency crews in the month after the storm, which added up to $60,000, the chief said.
In Ottawa County, Commissioner Jim Sass said officials are relying on donations to plug a $66,100 gap in insurance coverage for families repairing and rebuilding homes. Some 39 county families are in need of help, he said.
Allen Township, where the destruction is concentrated, faces severe deficits from storm-related overtime costs. It also must replace several roads damaged by heavy equipment used to clean up debris, Mr. Sass added.
"That's a huge hit to a government entity like that," Mr. Sass said, explaining that the township's annual budget is less than $1 million. "The township didn't budget for that, didn't plan for that. You don't budget for tornadoes."
In Michigan's Monroe County, Commissioner Dale Zorn said some people are still waiting for insurance to come through.
"It's pretty much getting back to normal, as much as normal can be after a storm like that," he said.
The Michigan Legislature recently approved funding for the area to help cover the cost of recovery efforts. That includes $30,000 each for Monroe County, the Village of Dundee, Dundee Township, and Frenchtown Township. Estral Beach will get $14,627. Mr. Zorn said the money will pay for some of the overtime and cleanup costs, but it's not enough.
"It's very small compared to the actual expenditures," he said. "There's no doubt that [people] are disappointed with the help they're getting from the state."
He said the county is going to look for other funding, possibly from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Still, those working to help tornado victims say they are heartened by the ongoing support from individuals and community groups. Weeks after the storms hit, fund-raisers - although less frequent - still abound, and donations continue to be made to charities such as the United Way.
Mike George, United Way director for Wood County and chairman of the area's Long-Term Recovery Committee, said donations so far to the county total $77,530, over a quarter of which have been paid out to needy families. The money has helped pay for temporary housing, insurance deductibles, car repairs, food, and medical needs resulting from the storm, Mr. George said.
The director said he does worry the donations might not cover all of the community's long-term needs, but he's impressed by the help provided so far.
"Wherever I go, people still want to know what's happening, what's going on, how they can help," Mr. George said. "People are learning that nothing of this nature that's so big can be done with so quickly, so it's still in the forefront of a lot of people's minds."
Fulton County's emergency management director, Justin Thompson, said people are still donating money and materials to help storm victims.
"It's heartwarming, it really is," Mr. Thompson said. "Things are moving in the right direction. I think we're going to be able to help out quite a bit just with donated money."
Residents in the tornado-torn areas say they have been inspired by their community's response, despite the loss of lives and the physical destruction.
Millbury resident Marlene Norwalk, a bartender at Pub 51 in Northwood, said she feels closer to her neighbors than ever before. Her house survived the tornado, and she and her daughter and granddaughter were among the volunteers who went out to help pick up debris and distribute water and other supplies to the victims and emergency crews.
"Now when you're walking down the street, you see things so differently. There may be a person you have never said hello to, and now you do it," Ms. Norwalk said. "To see everybody pull together has been outstanding. I don't think there's a stranger at all in this community anymore."
Contact Claudia Boyd-Barrett at:
cbarrett@theblade.com
or 419-724-6272.
First Published August 1, 2010, 6:03 p.m.
