Community repairs storm-damaged houses, corrals chickens

LAGRANGE COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) – Neighbors and friends help out victims of storm damage on Wednesday, starting with a farm’s flock of chickens.

Bill Moor, the director of the LaGrange County Emergency Management, said eight structures, mostly roofs, were damaged by the storm on Tuesday. He said although the storm has harmed these structures, the response from the people surrounding those afflicted by storm damage shows the willingness of others to get barns and buildings rebuilt.

“This community is strong,” Morr said. ” …There were probably about a hundred people [at Dutch Country Organics] last night before we left, ready to go, ready to get to work.”

According to Morr, about 28,000 chickens at Dutch Country Organic’s headquarters were rattled by the storm on Tuesday, some escaping their cages at the farm. He said although the outer shell of the building broke down and the birds were not caged-in, the fence did not allow any to escape the property.

A fire was started on the property to burn the 2-by-4’s that were damaged in the storm, and construction machinery was used to clean scraps of the building laying throughout the property.

Down the street, LeEtta Wengerd also had help at her daughter’s house. She said the Tuesday storm did not harm the main room of the building, but took off it’s roof and destroyed belongings such as wedding gifts and boxes of clothes. However, her family gathered community members that night to create a construction plan.

Wengerd said the scene was overwhelming; people brought food and they worked long hours with no pay. She said she was filled with gratitude for her neighbors’ willingness to help out in her family’s time of need.

For more information on other damage from the storm, read the article on wane.com .

By Wednesday afternoon, the community construction crew’s work was already underway, sawing, nailing and screwing on a new foundation to the house.

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