Sunday, April 09, 2000

Sense of humor turns overwhelmed to upbeat

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The Tornado: One Year Later

BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        There is no front door, no back door, no interior walls, no front yard, and no lack of optimism.

Then: Wanda Hatfield stands amid the ruins of her home. (Yoni Posner photo) | ZOOM |

Now: The Hatfield family home to be in their new home by June. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Mark and Wanda Hatfield and their four kids, ages 16 to 10, are just thrilled to almost be back in their Lakewater Drive home stayed. They stayed in an apartment after the tornado, then moved to a townhouse.

        They hope to be back by June in a new Lakewater Drive home. The old one was destroyed.

        Meanwhile, one of their daughters is using a large walk-in closet for a bedroom.

        The Hatfields have no complaints with their insurance company. They were deliberate about their decision-making largely because they — like many tornado victims — felt overwhelmed.

        “There's nowhere to go to find out what to do,” Mr. Hatfield said. Decisions seemed mountainous, the complexities daunting.

        “Don't ya love what we've done with the place?” Mr. Hatfield said with a slight smile, as he stood at his front step — a mud-covered wooden plank.

        Like many of their neighbors, humor has sustained them.

        Also, the parents say the kids don't complain so much about life's little inconveniences. They've endured a big one.

       

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TORNADO: Powerful storm taught powerful lessons
A dog survives, a family feels blessed
Crisis response: 'I'm the person who saved my family'
Sense of humor turns overwhelmed to upbeat
Day of thanksgiving for those who helped
Disaster team helped, then quietly left
Lessons in the whirlwind
Memories of kindness ease memories of fear
More and better sirens expand storms warnings
Painting portrays sunflower rebirth
The graveyard of the trees
The roof went straight up, the house flew away
Tree a reminder of a boss who cared
Tornado of '99 archive