GOSHEN, Ohio — Recovery efforts are still underway for homes and businesses in Goshen. Some buildings have received so much damage, businesses are being forced to rebuild.

What You Need To Know

  • Bick's Driving School was one of several businesses affected by the tornado last Wednesday

  • They lost both electricity and water and can no longer hold their classes there

  • An Allstate next door was destroyed, leaving behind collapsed walls, a torn off roof and damaged items left behind

  • Bick's Driving School will work remotely until they find another building; as this building is expected to be demolished

Bick’s Driving School was one of several Goshen businesses affected by the tornado on July 6. The EF-2 tornado struck at an estimated wind speed of 130 mph. While the building is still intact, the utilities are not.

Soon, the business will have to move out and find somewhere else to set up shop. 

“I was just trying to get back and clear out the office, but most things are in the computer so they’ll be stored,” said Gary Wright, coordinator at Bick's Driving School, explaining what it was like when he returned to the office last Thursday to assess the damage. 

Wright was grateful to find that none of the equipment inside was damaged, but the roof and utilities were another story. 

“The only thing we really lost was electrical water and power,” he said. “But because of the structural damage, we’re not allowed to go back in and run classes.”

An Allstate office just a few doors down suffered significant damage. The roof was torn off, walls collapsed, and damaged items left behind. Wright says he was told the building will be demolished, but he’s not sure when. 

In the meantime, Wright said he and his office manager plan to work remotely until they can find a permanent space. 

“I would like to come back here because it’s centrally located to all the schools that we service in this area,” Wright said. “But it may be a year, or longer, before the actual owner of the building has an opportunity to build."