The Rural Voice, 1979-10, Page 17Tornado in Oxford County
Starting all over again
BY ADRIAN VOS
The shock of the aftermath of the tornado in Oxford county,
that did about $200 million damage last month, is still felt by the
people that were closely involved.
Driving through the devastated area one can see that buildings
have been repaired, by the white patches of new wood where
weathered boards used to be, or by the glittering new galvanized
roofing on barns that were scalped by the elements.
New frame buildings are sticking their skeletons defiantly into
the sky, testifying to the resilience of the farmer who wants to
begin earning back what he lost in the storm.
But some half demolished houses, looking forlorn in the
contrastingly festive sunshine, are left as they were the night
after the storm, the owners not ready to make up their mind what
to do - rebuild, or go on to do something else.
Some of the farmers who are over fifty understandably
hesitate to start all over again, particularly if there is no son or
daughter ready to take over the farm in the future.
Difficulties ahead are legion. Even with hundreds of
volunteers from neighbouring counties, spending days in the
fields to clear the debris out of the corn and grainfields, much is
still hidden among the plants. It happens frequently that a
combine operator suddenly discovers that he has one or more flat
tires on his machine, or that a piece of overlooked metal begins
dattering around in the threshing mechanism. These are costly
happenings and are often not covered by insurance. Is it any
wonder that an older farmer is weary of beginning his life all over
again?
The Oxford County Relief Committee has high hopes that their
objective of four million dollars can be achieved, according to
George Simmons, the school teacher who travels to many places
at his own expense in order to raise funds.
On September 12, he said that there was already an amount of
S1.7 million donated and that the expenses thus far, for postage
and telephone had been kept to $2,200.
A total of $20 million dollars is needed and the expectation is
that the Ontario government will make up the difference of $16
million.
There are some stipulations expected from the government -
for example, the limit to be paid to anyone to be 90% of the total
loss minus normal insurance. This regardless if the farmer had
insurance or not, so an uninsured farmer would have no
advantage over an insured one.
Nevertheless, the losses to a farmer are much higher than just
the damage to buildings, but government help is not to be used
for loss of livestock, crops or fences.
For donors who are concerned that their donations be used
fairly, Mr. Simmons said that disbursements would be
supervised by government employees.
Donations can be made to the relief fund
Monetary donations to the Woodstock Ontario. (until Nov. 1)
and area tornado relief fund can be made
through the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture, Box 429, Clinton, NOM 1LO;
through chartered banks or directly to the
fund headquarters, Box 397, Woodstock,
Summer clothing is not needed anymore,
but there is still a need for some winter
clothing.
Receipts for tax purposes will be issued
for any donation of ten dollars or more.
Donations of feed are needed and any
potential donor can call the OMAF office in
Woodstock, phone number 537-6621 for
information on time and place of delivery.
THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1979 PG. 15