<br>For Millbury family, hope drowns out despair, but hurdles loom

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Duane Lender of Millbury, left, stops and chats with his neighbor Scott Swartz while shopping at Meijer in Maumee with gift cards provided for storm victims by area Lions Clubs. The Lender and Swartz families lost their homes in the June 5 tornado. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Photo Reprints

One in an occasional series

MILLBURY - Distance has had an uncommon effect on the Swartz family and their Millbury neighbors.

They may not live next door to each other anymore - a tornado changed that. But these days, they talk and get together more than at any time in the past.

"It's ironic," said Scott Swartz, 37, who now lives with his wife, Beth, and 13-year-old son, Byron, in a temporary apartment in Oregon while they wait for their Millbury home to be rebuilt. "We've always been good neighbors, but now we go out of our way to see each other."

The get-togethers are often spontaneous. The Swartzes and their neighbors the Wittmans and the Lenders frequently bump into each other on Main Street in Millbury, checking on the status of their storm-damaged homes. But they also talk regularly by phone and even go out to eat together - something they'd never done before.

"You just have that need to keep in touch a little more than you did before, you just need that reassurance," said Mary Ann Wittman, who lived on the north side of the Swartzes but now stays at a motel in Northwood with her husband, William. "We went through a tremendous loss together and you just want to make sure that your friends are OK."

That experience has made conversations among the Swartzes and their neighbors more meaningful too. Whereas before the June 5 tornado the families exchanged pleasantries, today they discuss everything from worries about their children's fears of storms to frustrations with satellite or phone companies.

Mrs. Wittman also calls Byron whenever a storm's approaching because she said he's good at keeping track of the weather forecast.

For the Swartzes, the favorite conversation topic is their new house, for which crews began preparing the ground last week. The family went to watch recently as a bulldozer tore out the basement from their old home, the same basement that saved them from the tornado's deadly winds.

"It was like: It's finally over. We're finally moving forward," Mrs. Swartz said. "It's pretty exciting."

Construction is set to begin within a week and a half. Plans include numerous wheelchair-friendly features that will benefit Mrs. Swartz, who has multiple sclerosis.

Mr. Swartz and Byron said they feel more positive now that the remains of the old home are gone. For Mr. Swartz, the initial days of anxiety and depression after the storm have given way to a flood of optimism and hope.

"I feel like everything's so much better now," Mr. Swartz said. "The first month and a half, you're still hoping that it's just some nightmare. Now it's just, 'Yeah, that happened, and we're getting on with it.'"

Challenges remain, however. As the days draw closer to the fall and the start of the new school year, the Swartzes are realizing the clothing they salvaged won't be enough to see them through the year. Although they've supplemented their wardrobes with a handful of donated items, the family is a long way from recovering what they had, Mrs. Swartz said.

"It seems like you wear the same things every week. You hope nobody else catches onto that," she said with a half smile. "It's starting to sink in how much we need."

Mike George, chairman of the Lake Township Long-Term Recovery Committee, said many storm victims face a similar problem.

"As seasons change and as schools get started, people will realize they don't have any school supplies, for example, or winter's coming and they don't have any winter clothes," Mr. George said. "A light bulb goes off and people think, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't think about that.'"

In addition to clothes, the Swartzes are starting to think about the furniture and everyday utensils they'll need once they move into their new house, which should be completed by the end of November.

Pots, pans, sheets, towels, appliances: It all adds up, Mrs. Swartz said, and she and her husband are trying to save what they can to afford the things they need when the time comes. That means putting off buying other necessities such as clothing.

"I'm scared to spend money," Mr. Swartz explained. "We're just afraid we're going to run out."

Thankfully for the Swartzes and many other families who lost homes and possessions, community groups and other organizations continue to offer assistance to storm victims.

On Wednesday, about 60 families, including the Swartzes, gathered at the Meijer store in Maumee, where they received $165 gift cards from area Lions Clubs to shop for clothes and food.

"We're all about helping the community. If it's within our means, we help," Swanton Lions Club member Joe Kahl said. "We can't hand out cash; it has to be a product. This seemed like the easiest way to do it."

The Swartz family used their gift card to buy shoes and clothes, mostly for Byron.

He returns to Lake Middle School in a few weeks, and the flip-flops and shorts he's worn all summer won't do for class, his mom insisted.

It took a good hour of walking around the store, but finally Byron settled on a pair of sneakers, some socks, jeans, and a few shirts.

Mr. and Mrs. Swartz said they were grateful for the help.

"It's a start," Mrs. Swartz said.

Contact Claudia Boyd-Barrett at:

cbarrett@theblade.com

or 419-724-6272.