Highland County residents optimistic after EF-1 tornado damage

HILLSBORO, Ohio — Days after the National Weather Service confirmed there were three tornadoes during a severe weather outbreak, neighbors are still assessing their damage.

According to a completed survey, one touchdown touched down in Clermont County while two tornadoes occurred in Highland County. An EF-1 tornado occurred west of Hillsboro, starting in Mowrystown and ended in New Vienna. That tornado traveled 14.4 miles and produced an estimated maximum wind speed of 100 mph.

WCPO obtained footage of the storm traveling through the backyard of one home near Hillsboro. It knocks over Jennifer Hammond’s playground as well as part of her fence, and pushes around furniture on her back patio.

“It had our hearts racing, yeah it was pretty scary,” Hammond said of the moments before she received severe weather alerts on her phone. “I said, ‘Guys I guess it’s time for us to get downstairs.’ We spent the night down in the basement, it was really windy.”

Jim Faust witnessed trees being uprooted while leaving his farm to get to his son’s basement down the road.

“We saw pieces of somebody’s roof going across the yard, and I didn’t know if it was our neighbor Jerry’s, or if it was from our rental house, which is right on the other side.,” Faust said.

Faust was thinking the worst when he saw the garage collapsed at his rental property. The home used to be his parents, but he now rents it out to a woman from his church.

“My first thought was I know she’s in the house,” said Faust. “She was in the house, perfectly fine, not a scratch on her. In fact, she really didn’t realize that the garage had been destroyed even though she was in the house.”

WCPO

Residents said they are expecting their insurance adjusters to be on the ground Thursday. As Faust’s family makes a checklist for all of the damage on their properties, they’re in good spirits knowing their loved ones are all safe.

“It scared everybody for a while, but I don’t know of anything that can’t be fixed and so we’re fortunate,” said Faust.

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