OAK HARBOR, Ohio — Thursday's threat of severe weather in Northern Ohio was especially concerning news for one Oak Harbor man who's still recovering from a tornado that took off his entire roof in mid-June.
June 15, 2023, will forever remain one of the most memorable days of 89-year-old Victor Harder's life, though not exactly in a good way.
"All I know is that my daughter said, 'Dad, it looks like there's a tornado coming,' Harder recalled to 3News. "She says, 'Where do we go?' and I say, 'We go in the hallway,' and we no more than got in the hallway and we heard a bunch of noise and dirt and everything else."
When the tornado passed, Harder discovered his entire roof was missing, and called his insurance.
"[With] no roof, I'm not going to sleep in there with the possibilities of the ceiling falling in on me," he said. "My insurance is paying for rent for me, so I have a nice place to stay."
He told us the estimated damage to his home is $350,000.
"It's a shame that it happened," he lamented. "That's all I can say. I'm sorry that it did. We plan on rebuilding here, so that's the main thing."
He's also grateful he and his daughter made it through the storm safely.
"We're just thankful we're alive," he said. "That's all I can say. We didn't get hurt."
Harder has lived in the South Mud Creek Road home for 64 years. After the tornado's destruction to it, his goal is now to move back in by his 90th birthday in April 2024.
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