Sunday's wind storm caused by remnants of Hurricane Ike killed at least three people who were hit by toppled trees, authorities said. It could take a week for power to be restored in some areas.
Winds gusting up to 78 mph ripped roofs from buildings and blocked roadways across the state, with southwest and central Ohio bearing the brunt of the storm's force, according to the National Weather Service.
"What we experienced was a hurricane-force wind gust," said meteorologist Myron Padgett at the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
A falling tree killed two motorcyclists in Hueston Woods State Park in southwest Ohio, and a woman died in the Cincinnati suburb of Mt. Healthy when a tree fell through the roof of her home.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, 575,000 Duke Energy customers in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky still had no power, out of 867,000 who had lost service since the storm began to hit the region late Sunday morning. It was the biggest outage in the company's history, said Duke Energy spokeswoman Kathy Meinke.
American Electric Power said on its Web site Monday that about 539,000 of its Ohio customers, or 37 percent, were out, including 273,000 in Franklin County, which includes Columbus.
"This is an unprecedented event for this time of year," AEP spokesman Jeff Rennie said. "We've never seen anything like this in early fall."
Both Duke and AEP said it could take more than a week to restore power to some hard-hit areas. AEP is recalling crews that had been dispatched to southern states hit by the hurricane.
About 310,000 Ohio Edison customers were in the dark in northeast Ohio, said spokeswoman Robin Patton.
South Central Power Co. reported Monday morning that more than 28,000 customers were out in central, southern and eastern Ohio.
The damage was widespread. High winds tore off part of the roof at Blacklick Elementary School in Gahanna, a Columbus suburb, Gahanna Superintendent Gregg Morris said.
Airport officials evacuated the control tower and canceled about 40 flights at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport before resuming air traffic Sunday evening, said airport spokesman Ted Bushelman. He said winds gusted up to 74 mph, ripping off part of the roof from a Delta Airlines hangar and damaging another airport building.
The Findlay Market in Cincinnati — the state's oldest public marketplace — and several adjacent buildings caught on fire. Maintenance crews on Monday cleared garbage, branches, parking signs and other windblown debris from the city's downtown sidewalks. People on their way to work helped out, moving cardboard, construction materials and even a chunk of siding out of the way.
The winds sparked at least eight fires in southwest Ohio's Warren County, including one at a power substation in Hamilton Township that was later extinguished, said Frank Young, the county's director of emergency services. About half of the county's residents were without power.
In Cincinnati, Findlay Market — the state's oldest public marketplace — and several adjacent buildings caught on fire.
Downed trees and branches covered the roads in Columbus' downtown German Village neighborhood on Sunday night. Residents who had lost electricity gathered in the streets to assess the damage. Others congregated at local restaurants and bars like High Beck Tavern, where the bartender, Wayne Lewis, said business was three times busier than a typical Sunday.
Jeff Reznor, 63, made his way over to High Beck after his four-unit apartment building lost power and shingles were blown off the roof.
"We've had some pretty good soaking rain from storms, but not wind damage," said Reznor, who has lived in Columbus since 1965.
STORM IKE EFFECTS CINCINNATI
The remnants of Hurricane Ike brought wind, not rain to the Tri-State Sunday, causing widespread damage and power outages.
At one point about 90 percent of Duke Energy Corp.’s 800,000 local customers were without power, according to WCPO-TV. Duke said it might take a week to get everyone’s lights back on. Power is on in downtown Cincinnati, however.
Winds of 55 miles per hour – reportedly gusting over 70 mph – toppled trees, tore siding from houses and spread debris widely over a three-to-four-hour period Sunday afternoon. Most schools closed on Monday.
Three people – two in Oxford and one in Mount Healthy – were killed by falling trees. Damage ranged from blown-off roofs and toppled chimneys, to fallen trees and snapped power lines.
IKE MOVES ON TO DAYTON OHIO
Hundreds of thousands are without power after high winds blow across the Miami Valley. More than 100000 Dayton Power and Light. As of 2 pm Sunday afternoon, nearly 20000 people in the Dayton Metro Area were without power according to Dayton Power & Light.
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