PIERCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — From homeowners with chainsaws in hand to Duke Energy crews to roofing and landscaping companies, cleanup in Pierce Township was an all-hands-on-deck situation Wednesday.
"We'll come out of it ok," Richard Fowler said.
A tornado was confirmed to have touched down around Pierce Township Tuesday, along with straight-line winds tearing through the area.
Fowler was one of dozens who saw trees thrown into their front yard from the afternoon storm.
Watch to see crews cleaning up tornado and storm damage in Pierce Township:
“Then the winds started picking up, and the trees were swaying really hard. And kept picking up and picking up. And finally, I mean huge limbs were starting to come across the yard like this. And then, believe it or not, the wind got even faster, and there was just a wall of debris," Fowler said.
A tree struck parts of Fowler's home, damaging his gutters.
The homeowner said one of the things that drew him to his home when he moved in years ago was the trees, and he was filled with emotion talking about the damage.
“What sort of went through your mind after you walked out of your porch after the wind subsided?" I asked.
"Mostly numb," Fowler said.
Just down the road from Fowler's home was where we met Rick Schuchmann.
“You ever seen anything like this here in your neighborhood before?" I asked.
“Never, never, I grew up here," Schuchmann said.
He said he watched as the storm tore through his neighborhood, seeing tree branches fall and hearing a specific sound.
“It sounded like a machine gun hitting the house; it was these sycamore seed pods. They are about the size of a golf ball and just as hard," Schuchmann said.
WATCH: We checked in with Clermont County neighbors Wednesday evening amid cleanup efforts
Folks like Fowler and Schuchmann have now begun the long road to get their homes and property back on track.
“I’m mostly over the shock now, I think. It’s just now; it’s just logistics, get everything squared away," Fowler said.
