A state of emergency was declared for Athens County after thunderstorms and an unconfirmed tornado ripped through Athens yesterday, sending 13 people to the hospital, doing significant damage to area buildings and homes and leaving 7,000 Athens County customers without power.
In an emergency Athens County Board of Commissioners meeting at 10 p.m. yesterday, Commissioners Lenny Eliason and Mark Sullivan called to action all personnel and units in the county designated to protect life
property health and safety of citizens in the affected area, according to an Athens County Commissioners news release.
Commissioners also called upon the public to provide reasonable assistance and cooperation in the efforts, according to the release.
It's bad
Eliason said.
Shelter is being provided at Ohio University's Weld House, 128 S. Green Dr., for the more than 200 victims displaced by the storm.
An unconfirmed tornado touched down in The Plains at about 7 p.m. yesterday, overturning several trailers and causing a gas leak in Pine-Air Village Trailer Park, according to an Athens County Emergency Communications news release.
Athens City High School's Basil Rutter Field suffered serious damage at the hands of the storm and 40 students had to be sheltered.
Damages in Eclipse are being assessed and the city is providing busing to Weld House for storm victims.
Autotech Service Center, 2079 E. State St., was completely leveled by the storm, although no injuries were reported.
The City of Athens Engineering and Public Works Department reported that the East State Street access road to Holzer Clinic is closed from the Super Eight Motel to the end of the road. All other city roads are open.
Fifteen Nelsonville homes were destroyed and three people were transported to medical facilities.
Six roads in York Township - Matheny Road, state Route 691, County Road 4, Spice Lick Road, Kimberly Road and Carbondale Road - were closed because of debris blocking traffic.
Witnesses say that the Athens Messenger building also was damaged during the storm. The Post uses the Messenger printing facilities.
Emergency medical services transported eight people to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital and two people to Doctors Hospital of Nelsonville. Two people walked into O'Bleness seeking treatment and one into Doctors.
All Athens County public schools are closed tomorrow.
OU students received an emergency text from the university at about 8:15 p.m., an hour and 15 minutes after the tornado's unconfirmed touchdown. The text message stated that the campus would remain under tornado warning until 8:30 p.m.
During the warning, OU students living in resident halls across campus were herded into their hallways, away from all windows.
OU reports no damages after the storm and classes will be in session today.
Officials are asking those seeking shelter to bring all medications, glasses, hearing aids and other necessary items. No pets are allowed at the shelter.
The declaration of emergency will remain in full force until the Athens County Board of Commissioners determines the emergency no longer exists.
1
News
Alex Stuckey
32272a.jpg
Trailers along McDonald Street in The Plains were flipped by a tornado between 7 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. yesterday. Emergency workers extracted residents from the trailers; there were no fatalities. (Dustin Lennert | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Sirens blared, power lines fell and neighborhoods were turned upside down in nasty storm
