Cemetery reopens after winter tornado

WARREN >> An Ohio cemetery has reopened a month after a rare winter tornado struck it.

Authorities closed Hillside Cemetery in Bazetta Township in northeastern Ohio after the Jan. 8 tornado. The storm destroyed a storage shed, blew shingles off a chapel roof, and knocked down dozens of trees and bushes.

Cemetery trustee Frank Parke tells the Warren Tribune Chronicle the tornado caused at least $150,000 in damage.

He says people should document evidence of storm damage to headstones and contact township officials. Parke says visitors also shouldn’t remove any downed trees themselves.

The National Weather Service says the tornado had wind speeds of 95 to 100 mph.