Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther declared an emergency in the city Wednesday following severe storms Tuesday that damaged much of Ohio's capital city and left one person dead in southeast Ohio and several prisoners injured in Lorain County.
Ginther and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held a joint press conference at Columbus Public Health headquarters to assess the statewide and local impact of a storm that weather officials now consider a derecho, which is a straight-lined windstorm with severe thunderstorms and destructive winds, that are comparable to tornadoes or hurricanes. The winds from the storm reached 82 miles per hour at one point at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport and affected much of the state.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Kristen Cassady said it may take days for workers to assess damage on Columbus' south side and near Clintonville where tornadoes may have touched down.
But before the first line of storms reached Columbus Tuesday morning, a tornado warning was issued for much of Madison County. Despite the warning due to tornadic activity, no tornado watch was issued for Franklin County.
Many residents on the south side believe the storm, which damaged homes and ripped off the roof of the Barack Community Center, was a tornado.
On Tuesday, the metal roof of the center was crumbled like a plastic tarp and wrapped around a tree. Several trees around the center were broken, with trunks and branches thrown dozens of yards away from the remaining stumps.
On Tuesday, many residents questioned why sirens didn't go off.
Cassady said watches and warnings are issued based off what the primary concern is for a storm. She said a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Franklin County, which doesn't rule out tornadoes.
"In yesterday's situation, our primary concern was the widespread damaging straight winds, which we saw in central Ohio in the morning," Cassady said.
At the press conference in Columbus, DeWine didn't say whether he thought meteorologists should have issued a tornado watch for Columbus.
"They do a great, great job. They have more technology today, more ability to predict things, but it's not perfect and it's never going to be absolutely perfect," DeWine said. "The meteorologists who are looking at that, they're making those decisions as we move forward."
Franklin County Emergency Management said that it doesn't activate tornado sirens unless a tornado warning is issued.
DeWine speaks on lightning strike at Grafton Correctional Institution and Roseville flooding
On Wednesday, DeWine visited Roseville and Crooksville in Perry and Muskingum counties. The two towns east of Columbus were battered by Tuesday's severe storms that caused one person's death.
DeWine said he's activated the National Guard to help southeast Ohio communities hit hard by floods. DeWine said officials were particularly worried about Roseville, which was cut off by floodwater with only one exit out of town.
DeWine and other officials urged caution when driving near flooded roads. DeWine said flooding remains the primary concern in the coming days.
"Whether you're in Columbus, or whether you're in Darke County, or wherever you are, if an indication of street is closed, the road is closed, for heaven's sake do not go around it," DeWine said.
DeWine also spoke about prisoners who were struck by lightning in Lorain County. He said four of the 16 prisoners struck by lightning at Grafton Correctional Institution were severely injured and taken to hospitals around the state.
He explained that the prisoners were coming back from eating in the dining hall and were walking outside on a normal pathway. He said there was no indication there would be lightning.
"The normal protocol is if there are storms going on, then they clear the yard. No one is outside, but they did not do that because they did not have that indication," DeWine said.
DeWine said two of the prisoners are being treated at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, but the most severely injured prisoner is being treated in the Cleveland area.
Columbus continues to assess storm impact as AEP restores power to thousands of customers
Ginther declared an emergency in the city following the severe storms Tuesday. Damage was reported throughout the city, which Ginther said prompted one of the largest responses in the city's history.
"For the first time in the division's history, every unit of the Columbus Division of Fire was in service responding to calls for service to folks in the city," Ginther said.
The mayor said the emergency declaration will make sure the city continues to have the flexibility and resources it needs to respond to infrastructure needs and recovery.
Ginther said he visited Hinman Avenue on the south side, where he met residents affected by fallen trees, power lines and damaged homes. He said the city is blessed residents of that area and around Columbus were not injured.
"Zero fatalities, zero transports to ERs for injury, nothing short of miraculous for this type of storm and 82 mile per hour winds at John Glenn International Airport," Ginther said.
The city is continuing to work on removing debris, assessing the safety of impacted buildings and accepting 311 requests. The American Red Cross has established a shelter at Scioto Southland Community Center for those in need.
American Electric Power is working to restore power to tens of thousands of customers throughout Ohio, with many of them in Columbus.
AEP Ohio President Marc Reitter said at the Wednesday press conference the bulk of the customers in central Ohio who lost power will be restored Wednesday, but many others will take longer. He said crews are working around the clock.
"We peaked at approximately 170,000 hours across the state, 110,000 approximately in central Ohio, and we're down to 60,000 in central Ohio and 80,000 across the state," Reitter said.
An AEP spokesperson said it may take until Friday to get to southeastern Ohio communities like Athens and Crooksville that were impacted by severe flooding.
