LORAIN, Ohio — There’s been another blow to cleanup efforts after severe storms rolled through twice in a matter of days.
Cooper Foster Park Road will be closed on Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tree removal. It was one of the hardest-hit areas when Wednesday’s storm rolled through. Trees came crashing down along Washington Avenue. Some homes and cars were damaged as well.
Joshua Ward was removing limbs from his yard when News 5 caught up with him Monday morning.
“It’s unfortunate but I got really lucky,” he said. “A lot of these other houses down the street got full trees that uprooted and fallen on their homes or cars, so I consider myself lucky.”
He also had more cleanup after Sunday’s storms. Not far from his home sits Elmwood Cemetery. Crews have been working to remove several trees and limbs that, in some cases, crashed down on headstones. It’s unclear how long it will take to assess the damage and remove debris.
“While we’re trying to clean up, we still have burials to do and there’s constant phone calls, people stopping wondering about their loved one’s tombstones and whatnot, so I really don’t have a time frame,” said crew leader Chris Dull.
Dull said they want families to know they care and are moving as quickly and safely as possible, so those families can get back into the cemetery.
When it comes to overall cleanup in the city, Street Superintendent Mike Darmos said in a statement that “there will be employees staying and working overtime until dark. We encourage residents that have incurred storm damage to put their branches and debris on their tree lawn and call our office at 440-204-2550 to report their address.”
Tiffany Tarpley is a Lorain County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @TiffanyTarpley, on Facebook TiffanyTarpleyTV or email her at Tiffany.Tarpley@wews.com.
