WEST UNION, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spent Friday surveying damage in Adams and Lawrence counties after an EF1 tornado hit the communities during Tuesday's severe weather.
DeWine said his administration is going through the assessment process to see how the state can help.
"Sometimes people think FEMA comes in every single time and brings money but that’s just not the way it works," DeWine said. "There’s a whole threshold you have to meet, so we’re looking at the point of view from the state to see kind of what the unmet needs are and what we can do to be of assistance."
DeWine plans to email his team within the next 24 hours about what he saw.
"You can see reports, you can see pictures but until you’ve been there and really talk to the people who are impacted you just can’t really understand it," DeWine said.
RELATED | Home leveled, trees down and roads impassable in Adams County after EF1 tornado
He said he hopes to help people who may not be able to cover the damages.
"Well, what we’ve heard is that we have some families that totally lost their home, and we understand that they were either uninsured or underinsured," he said.
One of the homes DeWine toured was the Unger property. Tammy Unger is hoping her insurance covers the costs of repairing her home.
"It’s kind of surreal. You know I can go in the house, and I do things and then I kind of forget, and then I come back out, 'Oh yeah, that’s what we’re doing. I forgot,'" she said.
Siding and insulation from her home, barn, shop and shed are scattered across Unger's property, in the trees and a pond.
"I am not a fragile person. I’m a very strong person, but this has really taken a toll on me. It has been stressful to try and think of all the things I need to cover," she said.
Unger said it was a lot to take in all the damage.
"I know the first night, we pulled in here and it just took the air from lungs," she said. "It’s overwhelming, you become very humbled, very grateful."
Unger said they are in desperate need of windows for their home.
However, she said things are starting to look up. Electricity is back on in her home, and they finished construction on the backside of her office.
The Ungers own three companies and keep all of their personal and employee information in the office. Thankfully, none of that was destroyed or swept away.
She said she feels more fortunate than most because one of their companies is an underground utility construction company, so they quickly were able to get started on repairs.
Unger said she’s thankful to live and have grown up in Adams County because the people who live there take care of each other.
"To have people show up in a time of need means that you are truly loved," she said. "I have never felt such love in all my life other than from my parents, my husband, my children and grandchildren, my closest friends."
She said they still have a lot of work ahead of them, but it’s a journey Unger knows she won’t be walking alone.
"All the time God is good. He loves us all the time. He is never going to leave us, and he’s never going to forsake us,” she said.
DeWine also toured the Kirker Covered Bridge destroyed by the tornado. He said his team is looking into what can be done.
"We’ll certainly, we’ll be talking to the local officials about that. First, start with what they want to do and then we’ll kind of go and take a look at that," said DeWine.
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