Selah Griffin
| TheReportingProject.org
When a major tornado with 110-mph winds swept through Delaware and Licking counties in March, it ripped roofs off of buildings, destroyed farms, uprooted trees and snapped power poles in half.
Five months later, local farmers such as David and Erin Morckel — who own and operate Morckel Meadows, a sustainable farm north of Fredonia on Ohio 661 — are still recovering.
Ohio has broken its previous record for tornadoes, with 70 tornadoes so far this year. In Licking County alone, 14 tornadoes have caused significant damage. The season has seen multiple outbreak days, including March 14, April 2 and May 7.
Delaware, Licking and Union counties were three of 11 counties President Joe Biden designated as primary natural disaster areas after the March 14 tornado.
Morckel Meadows is one of many farms affected by the March 14 tornado.
“I had looked outside and the sky was clear and calm,” David Morckel said last week. “Then it sounded like an explosion, like the whole house was falling apart.”
That night, the tornado destroyed the farm’s three greenhouses, leveled a shed, tore the roof off the sheep barn, killed 20 chickens, devastated the natural landscape and damaged the siding of the Morckel’s home.
“When we first walked outside, our first concern was the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program),” David said. “But we quickly remembered that this is why we have a CSA. … Everybody has to share in the lack of yield.”
Morckel Meadows operates a CSA, a membership-style marketing program that allows members to subscribe at the beginning of the season. Throughout the year, subscribers receive fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm each week.
The farm was fully subscribed by March and was preparing for the season when the tornado hit.
The Morckels have been growing and distributing produce for only four seasons.
“What’s sad is that this was the first year where we thought, ‘We’re ahead,’” David said.
The Morckels spent the rest of March cleaning up debris, looking for lost tools and putting the pieces of their broken farm back together.
With help from family and community members, Morckel Meadows was able to rebuild its greenhouses and reorganize the gardens in time to have a successful season.
“We’ve been just flying by the seat of our pants,” David said. “This season has been a success, but I’m frustrated that we’re still so disorganized.”
Morckel Meadows has five more weeks of harvesting and delivering this season. The Morckels will then have to let the weeds grow over and die in the winter before they can finish cleaning up the remnants of the tornado damage.
Active severe weather is attributed to a combination of factors but is ultimately unpredictable.
“Early-season tornados have definitely been on the rise, especially in the Ohio Valley in the last couple of years,” said Geddy Davis, weather and climate services program coordinator at Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at Ohio State University. “But we also had some natural variability play into our severe weather seasons as well.”
Ohio experienced its first tornado event in February this year.
“It’s definitely been one of the more dynamic years in recent history,” Davis said.
Between the tornadoes and the ongoing drought in much of Ohio, farmers across the region are struggling this year.And the year isn’t over. As Ohio moves into historically drier months, it often experiences a secondary peak of severe weather.
“It can catch people off guard,” Davis said. Storm systems in October and November can still produce tornadoes and damaging winds. “It’s important to keep your guard up and to have a plan, even if it’s an untraditional month for severe weather.”
“People often say that every season has its tragedy,” David said. “This one might have just stretched us too thin.”
Selah Griffin writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers.
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 23:03:00
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