When Dakota Stine saw the wreckage caused by an EF-2 tornado that tore apart the community of Indian Lake, he knew he wanted to help in any way he could.
Being the owner of Marine Performance Solutions Limited, a boat and jet ski repair business located in Hebron, a lot of his clients and close friends are those who share the same passion for being on the water, with many being from Indian Lake.
"So, we've got a handful of customers up here that do the two-hour drive just for us to work on their boats and jet skis," Stine said.
For Indian Lake, the devastation of experiencing a tornado that tore their community apart struck Stine close to his heart.
A few days after the storms, he picked up the phone and started calling local connections within his own community.
With a little help from an outreach post on social media, he received an entire trailer full of donations to bring to the community of Indian Lake within 24 hours.
"We saw a need in their community, and we knew we wanted to be the people to be there on the ground," Stine said.
With a fully loaded trailer of 100 pairs of socks, over 600 construction bags, 1,000 pounds of water bottles, 30 cold weather beanies, 50 pairs of cold weather gloves, and various other storm aftermath supplies, he was ready to make the two-hour haul.
When he first arrived, he was at a loss for words.
"It was just like, wow, I couldn't believe that … wind could do this," Stine said. "I mean, obviously, I've seen what tornadoes can do, but until you, like, really see it in person … buildings that have been here for hundreds of years, just gone, and entire allotments and community park areas just leveled."
Working with local highway officials, they directed them to the areas affected hardest to best assist in dropping off supplies.
They dropped off various items at different shelters, churches and businesses in Downtown Lakeview on Tuesday.
Driving through the torn-up sections of what used to be people’s livelihoods, he knew it would not be his only trip.
"Unfortunately, this will likely change a lot of people's lives forever and they may not recover to where they were before the storm," Stine said.
On Thursday, Dakota returned, this time helping residents and local farmers with cleanup. He stood on top of a house’s cement foundation, looking out to a farmer’s corn field that shared debris from the completely destroyed home.
Something that stuck out to him and made him inspired was the locals and how their spirits lifted as they came together to check in on one another.
"There's a lot of people out there just going to these meeting areas and gathering to see if other community members need anything and just talking and checking in," Stine said.
Throughout this whole experience, Dakota said he feels grateful for the outreach of support. He says it is gratifying to know he could be a part of something meaningful and that he is thankful that he could contribute.
"There's a lot of donations and a lot of donors, and like Procter and Gamble's here giving out showers, and a lot of big companies are stepping up and helping out," Stine said. "We've got a very large amount of interest in, future donors that would be matched by us personally to assist in this."
But there is much more work to be done. Dakota said he wants his story to raise awareness for others to get involved, because there are still months of recovery ahead for this small town. If you are interested in getting involved with local aid donations, look to local organizations and nonprofits in Logan County.
