Indian Lake, OH — Indian Lake has been feeling the impact of the damage that Thursday’s tornado had on the community. The town, which has a lot of tourism in the summer, will likely experience an economic hit since summer will look differently this year.

Betty Tierney, who owns Gene’s Marine Bait and Tackle Shop, expressed her concern.

“People aren’t going to be able to come, there’s not going to be, a lot of the Airbnb’s are probably gone, a lot of the weekend places that the people own may be gone,” she said.

Tierney explained that the businesses in the Indian Lake community will be affected.

“We really don’t know what to expect. I think a lot of people will still fish, but the boating is gonna really be tough because the docks are wiped out, the lake has a lot of debris in it and it just depends on what happens," she said. "A lot of the boats are destroyed."

Tosh Collins, an Indian Lake resident, said that the boat ramps which gives access to the lake are shut down to keep people off the lake as the it is full of debris. He said he believes fishing will be the “bright spot” this community needs.

“Big business is fishing, and the thing about fishing is no matter what’s in that lake, we can all get to the multiple miles of public shore we have here at Indian Lake and fish right now,” he said.

Collins, a fishing instructor for Indian Lake Anglers, said that even if that lake is inaccessible this summer, people will still come to the area to fish.

“You can fish, regardless, and that will help drive the economy," he said. "Those people will come in, they’ll buy food, they’ll eat locally, they’ll come and visit the tackle shops, they’ll fish."

Both Tierney and Collins know there’s a long road ahead to a full recovery for their community.