It could take another two months to clean up all of the damaged trees left behind by the June 15 tornado that touched down in Point Place, officials said this week.
With a storm that brought wind speeds of 130 mph, horticulturists and arborists who assessed the storm-damaged trees in Point Place have determined that 253 trees are compromised and will likely die, said Megan Robson, the city’s public service director.
In the interest of public safety, city crews have been working to get them removed, Ms. Robson said Monday.
Cleanup efforts thus far have cost Toledo about $370,000 with crews from the departments of forestry, urban beautification, solid waste, and transportation assisting in that work. That figure accounts for the huge push to clear trees immediately following the storm, said Ms. Robson, who expects costs to increase by $100,000 in the coming weeks.
“This was obviously a little more than we anticipated, but we always budget for storms in the season,” she said. “We are reviewing the costs with the estimated budget to see if additional funds will be needed in the mid-year.”
The hundreds of trees now slated for removal in Point Place will be added to the 380 trees that Toledo officials have already determined need to be removed as part of the city-wide sidewalk replacement program.
All of it is leading to a backlog and the need to use an outside contractor to assist with stump removal and mulching. Agreements for such work have not yet been finalized as it is still moving through the process, Ms. Robson said.
Point Place already has a defined tree planting initiative in place through a multi-year program the city has implemented through federal relief funding. The city will implement additional plantings in the fall and spring to compensate those removed because of the storm, Ms. Robson said.
District 6 Councilman Theresa Morris represents Point Place and has been continuously meeting with residents and city officials to assist in the cleanup and rebuilding efforts following the storm. Immediately after it hit, she said forestry crews began working 12-hour shifts to ensure the streets were passable.
“Our crews were absolutely stellar, I can’t say enough good things about them,” Ms. Morris said Monday. “Obviously, we had a lot of departments responding after the storm, and I am so, so proud. I just can’t say enough about our crews.”
Ms. Morris has worked closely with Lucas County Commissioner Lisa Sobecki. Both women spoke to many residents who have been challenged with coming up with the money needed to meet the high insurance deductibles. That is especially the case when multiple items of property were damaged simultaneously such as homes, cars, and watercraft.
“I talked with residents who were facing $4,000 to $10,000 worth of deductible payments and that’s a lot for anyone, especially middle class working families,” Ms. Sobecki said Monday. “Unfortunately, we did not get any state relief in the operating budget to help them.”
Ms. Sobecki lives in Point Place, but her home sustained only minor damage. Her goal is to continue working with families to help connect them with available resources.
About 26,000 residents across the Toledo region lost electricity because of the storm but within five days electricity was fully restored to residents in Point Place, said Toledo Edison spokesman Lauren Siburkis.
Ms. Morris cautioned that getting back to normal will take time.
“It’s just going to take a little time. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this was an EF2 tornado, and it took out a majority of our infrastructure,” Ms. Morris said of the tornado with 130 mph winds.
“Now comes the process of rebuilding. It’s one step to survive the tornado. It’s another step to have the courage and the tenacity to rebuild,” she said.
First Published July 3, 2023, 8:53 p.m.
