Crews work to clean up a collapsed roof at Ottoville Hardware Furniture & Appliance on Monday night.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
OTTOVILLE — Volunteers from around Ottoville rushed in to help clean up Ottoville Hardware Furniture & Appliance on Monday night after a thunderstorm with high winds caused part of the roof to collapse. No one was hurt.
The same storm also knocked down a large tree near the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Thayer Road in Allen County, according to the National Weather Service.
In Ottoville, shattered glass was along the roadway at the intersection of 3rd and West Canal Streets. Flash flooding over the roadways there complicated the cleanup, according to the Village of Ottoville’s Facebook page. The Putnam County village received nearly 5 inches of rain over a four-hour period.
The community supported its business, though, as residents rushed into the store to help clean up flooded floors and move products, according to the Ottoville EMS Facebook page.
The owners of the Ottoville Hardware wanted to express their gratitude to the community for their help in the clean-up process.
“It was amazing, it was just amazing,” Sue Bendele, whose family owns the business, said of the outpouring of community support.
Bendele said the cause of the roof collapse is still unknown. But because of the community’s speedy and generous support, the hardware was able to reopen Tuesday, albeit in a limited capacity. She said the Ottoville Fire and Police Departments were quickly on the scene following the incident, and that friends and family members connected to the business brought in trailers and trucks to help clear the store of vulnerable merchandise.
“We would like to thank our community and fellow businesses for your generous help and support yesterday,” the company wrote in a Facebook post. “We are still open for business and we thank you for your patience during this time. We are grateful to be a part of this wonderful community!”
