“It was one amazing thing to see.”
Kristen Gallagher, Disaster Program Specialist in the Lake to River Chapter, was not describing the damage she saw, following the tornado that hit Williamsfield, Ohio Sunday night.
Kristen was describing the scene on Monday morning, when she witnessed neighbors repairing each other’s homes, securing tarps where the twister ripped off roofs and tore away walls, and clearing roadways for vehicles, including the horses and buggies of the Amish residents of Williamsfield.
“Who knew their horses and buggies went off-road!” said Kristen, as she described the clean-up efforts. “It was very heartwarming to see them all in action just hours after the tornado did so much damage.”
Photo credit: Kristen Gallagher, American Red Cross
Cover photo credit: Melissa Papini, American Red Cross
The severe weather affected a number of counties throughout Northeast Ohio. The Red Cross response included volunteers supporting a city warming center in Brunswick Hills during an extended power outage, opening a shelter in the Twinsburg Community Center, where there were 17 overnight stays on Monday and Tuesday, and distributing more than $8,500 in immediate financial assistance for 15 families in Ashland, Erie, Cuyahoga, Wayne and Ashtabula Counties.
But the Amish families in Williamsfield politely declined help offered by the Red Cross. “They have each other,” Kristen said. “They are an amazing community where everyone is helping and looking out for each other.”
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