By Kimberly Gasuras, Freelance Journalist | FreeWire — Your News, Your Voice
BUCYRUS—On April 17, 2024, one minute Louie Katona was sitting in his truck in the
parking lot of his office at Katona Realty on Kaler Avenue and the next, he and his truck
were in the yard of a house across the street.
Katona said it was frightening to be in the path of an EF-1 tornado as it left destruction
in its wake from the Aumiller Park area to east of town near Old 30 BBQ.
“My truck didn’t look too bad. After being struck by debris and picked up and thrown
across the street, I didn’t think it was in too bad of condition,” said Katona.
That was until the insurance adjustor pointed out where the storm sandblasted the
glass, and left tons of dents all over his vehicle.
“I had attempted to exit the vehicle when our outdoor building was above me. Luckily,
the automatic locks wouldn’t let me as I likely would have been trapped between the
frame and door when it was thrown across the street,” said Katona.
Katona said he saw Deputy Eric Thomas’s house lift up into the air then drop back
down. “I looked to see if his cruiser was in our parking lot. It was, and I went to his aid,” said Katona. “He was upstairs and couldn’t exit his home. His main concern was for his dog, which I took to the office.”
Katona said the Crawford County SRT (Special Response Team) and other deputies
responded, helping him move his valuables that evening. “I was impressed to see my Chief Jeremy Shick from New Washington Police Department also respond,” said Katona with pride in the police force he is part of. “I think his daughter was working at Old 30 BBQ, he checked on her, then me.”
Old 30 BBQ had suffered its own destruction from the tornado. The roof of the outdoor
stage had not only blown off, it was twisted in nearby trees.
“We were incredibly fortunate that the tornado missed our building and, most
importantly, that no one was hurt,” said Austin Smith, owner of the popular Bucyrus
restaurant. He said it took a couple of days to get the power restored and clear the parking lot, but it would have taken much longer without the quick response from Kiess Electric, Eric Schiefer Excavating and Oberlander’s Tree and Landscaping.
“It took months of planning, and a lot of trial and error, to come up with a new covering
for the stage that was destroyed. Given how severe the spring weather has become,
we’ll likely never rebuild something exactly like what we had before,” said Smith.
Bucyrus Mayor Bruce Truka was excited to see the Family Dollar Store on South Lane
Street reopen earlier this month after it sustained major damage from the tornado.
“It’s s godsend for our community. I think everyone is happy to see it re-open,” said
Truka.
He said that debris from the tornado at Aumiller Park was picked up by city employees
as well as members of the community. “So many people came out and helped. Even local schools, including Pioneer, sent students to help clean up our park,” said Truka. “I am so encouraged and proud by the way our community handled everything.”
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