Cities still rebuilding after tornado

Highway 37 in Martinsville has more open landscape these days. \nOne year after an F-3 tornado ripped through South Central and Central Indiana causing damage to Ellettsville, Martinsville, Greenwood, Southport and Beech Grove, holes line the road where trees once stood. \nA total of 36 counties were affected, with an estimated $50 million in property damages. \nEllettsville resident Linda Bybee said she's still getting used to her neighborhood.\n"Twenty-seven mature trees were destroyed in our area; it is not the same," she said. "They were great buffers for sound, and we didn't realize it until they were gone."\nBybee and her husband John said they finished repairs to their house in July. \nToday, most of their neighborhood is back to normal, she said, without the biggest obstacle immediately after the tornado -- the lack of electricity. \n"The trees in our yard pulled our electricity box out completely," Bybee said. "We were without electricity Friday evening through early Sunday." \nEllettsville Clerk-Treasurer Sandra Hash said the amount of volunteer help immediately after the tornado was outstanding. Hash said the majority of the damage was due to trees obstructing the roads. Volunteers worked for two weeks to clear the debris.\n"I was amazed at the volunteers who came out," Hash said. "Several hundred people volunteered and donated their time. It was amazing."\nEllettsville Director of Emergency Management John Hooker said in the last year the town has been working to address safety problems made apparent during last year's tornado. \nHe said poorly maintained and placed warning sirens failed to alert many residents of the approaching tornado. \nHash said Ellettsville has collected enough donations for a new tornado warning siren. It was installed this week next to Ellettsville Primary and Intermediate schools in an area that sirens did not reach last September.\n"There are 25 new sirens in the county," Hooker said. "We now have a comprehensive plan to let people know if this ever happens again."\nThe sirens will now reach all five schools in Ellettsville and the senior citizen center.\nNearly 20 miles away, Martinsville also suffered extensive tornado damage. A reported 20 homes were destroyed, with 18 homes suffering minor damage. \nMartinsville District III City Council representative Gary Lester was out of town when the tornado hit. He said he returned a few days later to find serious destruction. \n"The biggest loss we had was of the trees," Lester said. "Everything was tore up." \nVicki Buskirk, administrative assistant to Martinsville Mayor Shannon Buskirk, said even with damages ranging in the millions of dollars, the majority of the city is back to normal. \n"We had never experienced anything of that magnitude before," Buskirk said. "But luckily the mayor had a disaster plan in place. The town would absolutely not have been able to recover as quickly as possible without the help we received."\nThe Bybees said they are still overwhelmed by the amount of help they received in rebuilding their home and their lives.\n"It was unbelievable in today's age that the area came together as a whole to help out," Bybee said. "It really was a community effort."\n-- Contact staff reporter Lindsay Jancek at lmjancek@indiana.edu.