LAKE LORELEI, OH — A Lake Lorelei couple moved back into their home on Saturday, nine months after a tornado heavily damaged the house and left a path of destruction through the small Brown County community.
"It feels great," Lorrie Cook said.
Cook and her husband Craig had an "overwhelming" experience trying to rebuild their home, she said.
Last July, the tornado brought a large tree down on their home smashing out windows, crushing the roof and causing major damage inside the house. The Cooks said the home had shifted on its foundation.
"Windows, all of them new," she said as she stood inside her new family room on Monday. "New doors, everything in this room."
She said volunteers helped them get into their home. And volunteers from at least four states removed hundreds of damaged and fallen trees that covered yards and roads, according to the Cooks and other residents.
"In a time of need, you don't know if people are going to come out and help us," Lake Lorelei resident Elizabeth Morrison said. "And they did."
Cook and Morrison said it's an irreplaceable feeling to have so many people — strangers and neighbors — share the heavy burden of helping their community recover.
"It feels great," said Cook. "Feels really good."
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