Thousands of people were without power in several counties in northeast Ohio on August 12 after tornadoes and strong winds caused significant damage in the region.
Storms are affecting traffic in the region after numerous trees and power lines were downed due to strong winds
And while Governor Mike DeWine issued two proclamations to help with the numerous resulting problems, the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency announced on August 12 that the county did not meet the statewide or “individual” requirements to receive assistance.
The Lorain County Emergency Management Agency is required to conduct a five-stage assessment of the damage caused by the storms throughout the county, according to a press release posted by the agency on social media.
However, public entities such as cities, towns and villages are currently in the process of determining whether the communities are entitled to public assistance if the damages reach $1,430,000, the press release said.
After completing the investigation, the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency “found a home with significant damage after the assessments were completed,” the press release states.
Among the two proclamations issued by DeWine was an emergency preparedness proclamation designed to alert state agencies that their services might be needed by local authorities.
The second was the declaration of a state of emergency to enable the state to provide rapid assistance to these communities.
“We currently have no open requests for services the state can provide to our communities to assist in the aftermath of these storms,” DeWine said in an Aug. 9 statement.
None of the proclamations was a disaster declaration, which would have allowed states to request the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare a disaster.
“The proclamations were intended to enable state authorities to respond quickly, but Governor DeWine also made it clear that no assistance was requested,” the press release said.
The agency praised local communities for their “outstanding work in responding to this event.”
In addition, the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency praised emergency crews for responding to reports of downed power lines and keeping First Energy updated through the county’s dispatch center.
The operations center handled nearly 1,000 calls during and after the storms.
The Lorain County Emergency Management Agency also reported that First Energy has nearly completed the “monumental task of restoring power throughout the county,” the press release said.
First Energy employees are working to fully restore power, the press release said.
The crews work around the clock in alternating 16-hour shifts, the press release states.
Over 350 pylons were broken and had to be replaced. In addition, numerous power lines were torn down.
“The greatest impact was on the electrical grid, causing a power outage for many residents,” the press release said. “This was due to the large number of fallen trees and branches that brought down power lines.”
Outage update
In Lorain County, 113 of 11,213 customers were without power as of Aug. 12, according to Ohio Edison’s website, with most outages reported in Avon Lake.
In Cuyahoga County, 1,785 of 101,688 customers were without power, mostly in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, according to Ohio Edison’s website.
In Lake County, 380 of 102,660 customers remained without power, with most outages occurring in Timberlake and Mentor.
In Geauga County, 1,187 of 39,473 customers remained without power, the majority of whom were in the Chester and Munson communities.
In Ashtabula County, four of over 52,000 customers were still without power.
Ohio Edison reported that 3,989 of its 2,094,421 customers statewide were still without power. The estimated date for power restoration was Aug. 12. In a forecast last week, the company had moved that date up by three days.
The times during which residents could expect to have a power connection varied between 4:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., the company’s website said.
In a social media post, Lorain County Job and Family Services said it had reached out to residents receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits who lost their food during the power outages.
Those seeking replacement services due to the power outages were instructed to contact the state agency that oversees the local agency, as the complaints would not be handled by local county offices, the post said.
Customers can request a replacement by visiting “Loss of Food Request – Summer EBT” on ohio.gov, calling 866-244-0071, or emailing [email protected].
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