‘Forever grateful’: Plymouth family works to clean up extensive tornado damage
PLYMOUTH, Ohio (WJW) – When you pull up to the Beverage family home on West Road in Richland County, your jaw drops to the floor and your heart sinks.
Trees are snapped in half like twigs, there are pieces of metal siding wrapped around the bottoms of trees and even car truck tires and several vehicles look like they were in crashes.
All the noticeable damage caused by an EF-2 tornado that passed right over their home on Thursday.
Here’s how many tornadoes hit Ohio Thursday night
Jenny Beverage said she and her family made it to the basement with a few moments to spare.
“We started hearing the wind pick up and then all of a sudden, we started hearing things like, come crashing down,” Beverage said. “And my husband and my daughter felt their ears pop. So my husband said to get down on the floor. So the girls got down on the floor and then him and I got over top of them to shelter them until after the storm was over. It only lasted maybe about a few minutes, and it was over with.”
Those few moments were more than enough time for the tornado to turn their life upside down.
“Yeah, we had a barn completely demolished,” she said. “There was livestock in it, but they’re all fine. They’re all accounted for. We had part of the roof missing on our shop. We had two small outbuildings. Our woodshed is gone. Our house lost its porch.”
They also lost their camper, the roof and siding from their home was blown off, and multiple vehicles sustained damage, one was flipped completely upside down. But still, Beverage is counting her blessings.
“During the whole ordeal I prayed the entire time that we would make it out of here alive,” she said.
Since Friday, the Beverage family has seen many people show up to check on them, feed them, and help clean this gigantic mess.
“My daughter’s volleyball teammates out here,” Beverage said. “We had some of the staff of our high school and middle school teachers here. Um, we’ve just had a lot of friends and family coming together and supporting us, and we’re forever grateful for all of us.”
‘We need the public’s help’: Shooting spree, 5 victims
Beverage said they’re working with insurance adjustors to figure out the next steps to rebuild their life. While they know it’s an uphill battle, they know it’s something they can handle.
“I believe God doesn’t give you more than what you can handle,” Beverage said. “I mean it is what it is, and we just gotta keep pushing through.”
No injuries have been reported from Thursday’s tornado in Plymouth. Impacted residents are encouraged to report tornado damage to their county Emergency Management Agency.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
