‘Goshen strong’: Work continues 1 year after devastating tornado

GOSHEN, Ohio (WXIX) - A year after a tornado ripped through the town of Goshen and caused extensive damage to homes, some residents are still on the rebound.

Although many homes have been rebuilt, there is still a lot of work to do as schools are being repaired and homeowners continue to make progress.

But “Goshen Strong” isn’t just a phrase; it’s a way of life for those living there.

Aarron Ellerman, Lead Pastor of Goshen Community Church, says that his church helped clean up trees and debris from other people’s yards. He says that the tragedy taught him the people of Goshen like to help one another, and that has continued a year later.

“It’s just our resiliency, we came together and we had neighbors helping neighbors, we had strangers helping strangers, and just the love that we have for one another and that sense of community pride,” Pastor Ellerman said.

Ellerman opened Goshen Community Cares, a resource center to help families in need with personal care items, cleaning supplies and other necessities. He says that in just five weeks, they have helped 250 families.

Tornado leaves trail of damage through Goshen

“That’s one thing that’s great about Goshen that we kind of saw bring out in the tornado, is that we have a tight-knit family here as a community, and when we opened it up, we had people asking how can we help,” Pastor Ellerman said. “We also partner with Matthew 25: Ministries and they help us with supplies as well.”

“We really see that there is a larger need, especially among the senior citizens, which kind of surprised me a little bit,” he adds.

Today, many streets still remain bare after hundreds of trees were toppled.

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