Storm sucks Hook Road mother and child out of home

CRESTLINE - Outside her heavily damaged home on Tuesday afternoon, Susan Cooper didn't look like someone who had been sucked out of her home by a massive storm the night before.

She had some scratches on her face, and said she lost her eyeglasses when the storm ripped off the roof to her daughter's bedroom and threw her and 4-year-old Alyse into the backyard.

"They're out there somewhere," she said of her glasses, pointing to the property next to the CSX railroad, where two trains sat idled on either side of the crossing gates.

God had to be watching over the mother and daughter at 11:30 p.m. Monday when a storm ripped the roof off their 5511 Hook Road house, Susan's husband John said.

The mattress that mother and daughter were sleeping on was found close to the CSX railroad tracks, John said, standing outside his 5511 Hook Road house early Tuesday morning.

When the storm hit, John said, he was in a front room watching the Georgia Tech vs Tennessee football game on TV. Their son, J.C., 7, was asleep in a front bedroom. Susan was with Alyse.

"Glass was flying. It was like a sonic boom and the next thing I heard was terrible winds. It lasted all of 35 seconds," John Cooper said. He was bumped in the head by some drywall. Amid the broken glass, he quickly went to get his son, who was not injured.

Then he went to look for Susan and Alyse.

"I said, 'Oh no where's your mom and sister?'" he said. "I had heard the big boom and things started falling and crashing. I went to the bedroom and couldn't open the bedroom door and all of a sudden I heard them knocking on the sliding door in the back." 

"We kind of got ourselves together and looked for the dogs and we still have a dog (a boxer) missing. Then we went over to the neighbors," he said. The dog was later found.

Mother and daughter were taken to OhioHealth Shelby Hospital and later released. They returned to stay at a neighbor's house around 2:30 a.m.

By 1:30 a.m. Monday, local officials and members of the Red Cross were on scene. John was on his cellphone with his insurance agency, and said he was told they couldn't get anyone out to his house until Sept.15 because of all the flood damage in Texas.

A CSX employee was on site, as the nearby crossing arm was broken, and the crossing bell was dinging loudly.

On Tuesday afternoon, Susan had a few bruises and bumps and Alyse, a cut on her leg, but aside from that, the twosome were doing OK as they dealt with the aftermath of the destruction to their home. By 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, a container unit was set up on the property to hold their belongings and insurance agents were scouring the property. Alyse had just taken a nap at the neighbor's house and Susan was finally getting her first bite of food, sitting on the lawn with her daughter eating a sandwich.

The Coopers are math teachers at Pioneer Career & Technology Center. Tuesday was to be Alyse's first day of preschool, the father said. John Cooper said he is thankful for good neighbors Steve and Nancy Fensch, who took his son inside their home to go back to sleep and were assisting the family.

Mike Bailey, executive director of the Richland County Emergency Management Agency, said there was property damage to eight to 10 structures along Hook Road, west of Ohio 314, Bailey said.

"One had a barn completely gone, the others, a chimney was knocked down, roofs missing and the one guy, it picked up and moved his yard barn about 30 to 40 feet, just picked it up and set it down," he said.

Bailey said there were reports of trees and branches down and more throughout Richland County, causing blocked roads and downed wires.

lwhitmir@nncogannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir