GOSHEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Thursday marks one year since a tornado ripped through Goshen Township, leaving significant damage in its wake. While some work has been done, those living in the Clermont County community are still healing and rebuilding 365 days later.
Goshen Township Fire Chief Edward Myers was six months into the job when his fire station took a direct hit from an EF-2 tornado on the afternoon of July 6, 2022.
"My first thought was, 'Are my people okay?'" Myers said.
As the tornado continued its path, destroying or damaging more than 150 buildings, Myers said his firefighters checked on loved ones before immediately getting to work.
"We try to push family first here, so we made sure their families were OK, and it was time to get to work," Myers said.
They responded to around 230 calls for service within the first 24 hours of the disaster, even using ATVs to gain access to some homes that could not be accessed due to downed trees and power lines.
Myers said a third of the firehouse had to be demolished due to the significant damage, forcing firefighters to work out of other locations. To this day, the department is working out of nearby Station 19 and another temporary facility at the township's maintenance shop.
"You know the township was very optimistic, they thought in the draft version of the Ohio State budget they had a $2.5 million fix," said Bob Rose, the police chief and township administrator. "We were disappointed it was cut we were optimistic that our lawmakers and the governor will come through when the time comes."
State Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-District 62) said the money wasn't cut from the budget. Instead, she said it never made it into the budget because they were too late to include it on the House side and failed to get it in while it was in the Senate.
Rose said the damage does not rise to the level needed for FEMA assistance, so "we're really counting on that state-level assistance."
While they wait for help from legislators, the township received help from other communities. The long-term tornado assistance program set up by Clermont County's Long Term Recovery Committee received nearly $233,000 worth of outside donations that helped 78 families alone recover.
"We're so thankful there was no loss of life," Rose said. "It was a tragedy, but we shined as a result of it."
Rep. Schmidt said there is still hope for assistance. She said she plans to introduce a standalone bill by the end of the week to attempt to fund a new fire station. There is another plan to get a state grant through the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, which would pay for 75% of the cost, with Goshen picking up 25%.
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