(NationalUSNews.com) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in 11 central Ohio counties hammered by heavy storms and tornadoes last week, the Associated Press reported.
The governor also announced in a March 17 press release that he had activated the Ohio National Guard to assist in clean-up efforts on public property in Logan County’s hardest-hit area of Indian Lake, where the severe storms claimed the lives of three people.
In addition to Logan County, the governor’s state of emergency also included the counties of Auglaize, Crawford, Darke, Delaware, Hancock, Licking, Mercer, Miami, Richland, and Union. Under the emergency, relevant agencies and departments in the state were ordered to provide services, personnel, supplies, and equipment to assist in recovery and clean-up efforts.
Last Thursday’s severe weather in the Midwest tore through Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Arkansas. In one Indiana community, dozens of homes were severely damaged in high winds, and about 40 residents were injured.
At least nine tornadoes slammed into central Ohio, with the most devastating, an EF-3 tornado, tearing through Auglaize County and continuing into Logan County. EF-3 tornadoes can feature wind speeds of between 136 and 165 miles per hour.
Tornadoes also touched down in Missouri and Illinois.
In Logan County, Ohio, search and rescue crews last Friday combed through the neighborhoods of Lakeview and Russells Point that had been blocked off on Thursday due to gas leaks and multiple fallen trees.
Sheriff Randy Dodds told reporters that, given the state of the area, it was surprising that only three people were killed.
Governor DeWine met with residents and surveyed the damage in Logan County. He told reporters that it was fortunate the storms hit on a weekday in March and not during a summer weekend.
The National Weather Service confirmed that Ohio saw nine tornadoes. In addition to the EF-3 that ripped through Auglaize and Logan Counties, EF-2 tornadoes were confirmed in Darke, Miami, Crawford/Richland, and Union Counties. And EF-2 features winds of up to 135 miles per hour.
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