Millbury family has a new design for rebuilding their lives

<img src=http://www.toledoblade.com/assets/gif/weblink_icon.gif><b><font color=red> RELATED STORY:</b></font> <a href="http://toledoblade.com/article/20100627/NEWS16/6270316" target="_blank "><font color=blue><b>Part one: Millbury family battles to regroup, reclaim lives: </font color=blue></b></a>June 27, 2010 Enlarge

Beth and Scott Swartz go over plans for their new home in Millbury. A ranch house will take the place of their two-story home that was ripped away by a tornado on June 5. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

One in an occasional series

MILLBURY - It's been six weeks since the Swartz family lost their home to a tornado. And it's been more than nine years since they were pulling permits, scouring designs, and negotiating with contractors to get that house built.

Now, Scott and Beth Swartz, with their 12-year-old son, Byron, are starting the process all over again, something they thought they'd never have to do.

This time, however, their priorities are a little different.

Gathered around a table with their builder, Tim Gruber, on a recent sweltering afternoon, the family pored over proposed plans for their Millbury house, costs for which their insurance firm, Erie Insurance, has agreed to pay.

Between smiles and nods, Mr. and Mrs. Swartz pointed out doorways they wanted widened, questioned the height of kitchen countertops, and verified that a stair lift down to the basement would be installed.

The details were important because, when the Swartzes chose their original home's design in 2001, Mrs. Swartz hadn't been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Now Mrs. Swartz uses a wheelchair, and the family, still struggling with their losses from the tornado, are determined to make their next house easier for her to navigate.

They want their new home to be worth the pain and upheaval of the last few weeks - and the long wait for a return to normalcy.

"I think it's so different from our other house, we don't have to compare it," Mrs. Swartz said after seeing the plans and touring a house with a similar design in Perrysburg. "It's something good to look forward to."

Mr. Swartz added: "There's nothing not to like about it."

The house will be built on the same Main Street lot in Millbury the Swartz family lived on before. Instead of a two-story house, however, it will be a ranch.

It will have wider doorways, ramps, a modified shower, and other accommodations for Mrs. Swartz, as well as a sunroom instead of a deck.

"The deck was a challenge for Beth to step down," Mr. Swartz explained. "The sunroom should be a lot easier."

Mr. Gruber, who owns Ridge Stone Builders and Developers, said workers will start preparing the ground next week, and he expects construction to be completed by the end of November. The company also will take care of permit applications for the family, something Mr. Swartz was relieved to hear.

For Byron, one of the biggest concerns was the basement, the room he and his family took shelter in the night of June 5 while the twister ripped away the house above their heads.

He listened intently as Mr. Gruber described the structure and size of the 31-foot by 51-foot basement.

"Is that a big basement?" Byron asked anxiously.

"It's a huge basement," his father assured. "[One of the builders] said we could put a bowling alley down there."

Although the post-tornado craziness has eased a little for the Swartz family and they have settled into a temporary home in Oregon, the angst of the past few weeks remains.

Mr. and Mrs. Swartz still struggle to sleep through the night, replaying in their heads the events of June 5. They go through the same erratic emotions, feeling angry one minute and relieved the next. They still miss their neighbors and friends, Mary and Ryan Walters, who perished in the storm with their 4-year-old son, Hayden.

"You still see it when you sleep. You still think about it all day," Mrs. Swartz said. "You can't escape it. You can't turn it off."

Sleep problems after a traumatic event such as a tornado are common, said mental health specialist Mark Haskins, clinical director at Behavioral Connections of Wood County.

Sometimes those problems can last for months, Mr. Haskins said. When that happens, he recommends people ask their doctor for a sleeping aid, because lack of sleep can create other mental health issues, such as irritability and depression.

"It can affect everything in your life," Mr. Haskins said. "It's better to take Benadryl than go a week without having good sleep."

Mr. Haskins has worked with tornado victims since June 5 and continues to visit the affected areas regularly. He said most people seem to be dealing well with the trauma caused by the storm, but others have approached him for help.

Some local residents may need mental health support but be embarrassed to ask for it, Mr. Haskins said. He said he is on the lookout for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, which can develop months after an event.

"The number-one thing about events like this is that human beings are incredibly resilient," Mr. Haskins said. "Unfortunately, there are people that will need help. Those are the ones we try to focus on."

For the Swartz family, returning to Millbury regularly helps them feel connected to their village. Every week, they visit the site of their former house, hoping to find more relics from their past lives. They've dug up one of Mrs. Swartz's recipes, a memorial stone for her deceased father and brother, and a fork.

"You can't help it," Mrs. Swartz said. "You think, 'I'm gonna find one more thing.'•"

She said she hopes once construction starts on the house the urge to keep looking for vanished items will subside.

One of the best things about returning to Millbury is seeing their neighbors again, some of whom have begun to rebuild. Mr. Swartz said they stop and talk, exchanging hugs and stories about the night of the storm and how they've been coping since. They even laugh.

"You get that neighborly feeling," Mr. Swartz said. "It's exactly what we thought we had in Millbury, and it's exactly why we want to go back."

To ease the strain, the Swartz family has made some efforts to relax and enjoy themselves, something Mr. Haskins said is a good idea as long as those activities are truly relaxing.

For Mrs. Swartz, a recent week spent at her mother's house in Indiana helped her clear her head, she said. Meanwhile, Mr. Swartz took a day off work and used the family's season passes to take Byron to Cedar Point and cheer him up.

Byron said he went on all of the scariest rides, including one called the "Wicked Twister."

"I figure, I've been through a tornado," Byron said. "I can handle anything."

Contact Claudia Boyd-Barrett at:

cbarrett@theblade.com

or 419-724-6272.