PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — Bethel Square Restaurant and Lounge in Port Orchard still looks like a construction site after an EF-2 tornado touched down in December and did significant damage.
Owner Shari Patrick puts on a brave face but said she feels broken because she can't reopen yet. She lets customers know the business is closed due to the tornado on her website.
"I'm used to working seven days a week, and now I have been home for six months. A part of me is gone," Patrick said. "I need to get back."
Next door to Patrick’s business is Kitsap Screen Printing and Embroidery. Owner Benny Jones is using his website to let customers know he is operating out of a temporary location until they can return to business as usual.
"It has been stressful, a bunch of highs and lows. One minute you come in here and you think, oh wow, they are moving," Jones explained. "The next thing you know, nothing has happened."
The tornado that tore through the community six months ago was the strongest recorded in Washington state since 1986.
"I had just pulled in. I had been here for about five minutes when it happened," Patrick recalled.
She ducked under the pie case for protection.
Jones said he held the front doors shut and watched the trees across the street come down like dominoes.
The tornado's path of destruction went beyond the building on Bethel Road SE. It ripped roofs off homes on Tiburon Court in Port Orchard.
"You can still drive through the neighborhood over there, and there are still blue tarps up. It is not great," Jones said.
Even after a long six months, Jones is still determined.
"I am not ready to quit yet," he said. "I will be coming back."
No one was seriously hurt when the tornado touched down, but substantial damage was done to 50 homes, according to Kitsap County.
