LAKE COUNTY, Ohio — Cleanup is underway throughout Northeast Ohio from Thursday’s strong storms, and one of the hardest-hit areas is Mentor on the Lake.
“You really couldn’t appreciate how much damage there was until the sun did shine again,” said Kathy Powaski, a resident on Salida Road. The damage seemed to be heavily concentrated on that street.
“We saw that the storm was coming on the news, but when it hit, we never thought it would be as bad as it was. It hit so violently,” said Juanita Miller. “I've lived here 50 years; I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Everywhere you look on Salida Road, you’ll find debris, huge trees uprooted and downed power lines.
“Tremendous, up and down the street. People have power lines down. Driveways are blocked in,” said Mark Fawcett, the owner of Woodsman Tree Company.
No one had quite as much damage as Cindy Frost. She said she left work early when the storm hit to go get her two dogs, and when she came home, she couldn’t believe her eyes — six trees fell into her house.
“My entire house is just destroyed. I’m just devastated. This is my life here,” she said. “When I walked in, I fell to the floor and cried. All my ceilings are down. All my stuff is ruined.”
She is thankful that her two miniature dachshunds were okay but said she doesn’t even know where to go from here. Family and friends are helping her get her possessions before cranes take off the huge, 80-foot-tall trees.
“Photos of my parents that are priceless when they got married, my dad making his first communion, the kids when they were little. I just got to get stuff out that you can’t go replace, those photos, that stuff is worth a million dollars to me,” she said.
She is hopeful she won’t have to tear down the 100-year-old home but isn’t sure what the future holds.
“This is the saddest thing I’ve ever had happen in my life. This is your home, this is where you live, this is what you live for, this is your biggest investment,” said Frost.
Lake County Emergency Management said that power should be restored to the 2,400 still without it by Saturday morning.
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