Authorities stated that on Thursday night, severe storms and tornadoes struck Ohio and Indiana, causing extensive damage to homes, at least three fatalities, and heightened search and rescue operations.
CNN quoted Logan County, Ohio, Sheriff Randall Dodds as saying, “I can describe it as a bomb going off… the devastation is unimaginable.”
According to Dodds, three people were killed when an EF3 tornado slammed Logan County. This tornado was one of over six dozen that struck six states, including an EF3 that struck Winchester, Indiana, damaging or completely destroying dozens of homes.
Teams from the National Weather Service conducted surveys on Friday as well, as there was a chance of new tornado reports or heavier storms.
Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio said, “What we were seeing in pictures and (seeing) about… didn’t prepare us for the reality of the devastation.” Following a Friday tour to the Logan County community of Indian Lake, DeWine said, “There’s a lot of devastation here.”
Authorities stated that the storms caused at least 38 injuries in Indiana and more than 20 in Ohio.
Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted of Ohio said he was struck by how unaffected some individuals remained in the wake of such devastation. “To assist those in need, neighbors were bringing generators and chainsaws. You can see each other’s tenacity,” Husted remarked.
According to a representative at Mercy Health’s Mary Rutan Hospital in Logan County, about nineteen people received treatment on Thursday night for weather-related injuries. Parts of Logan County saw “significant damage,” according to the county’s emergency management organization, with Russells Point, Lakeview, and Indian Lake being particularly hard struck.
DeWine also took a moment to express gratitude to the community and first responders for banding together to help their neighbors.
Governor DeWine promised that the town of Indian Lake would prosper. “The most common message I’ve heard is that one. We are coming back; we will return,” DeWine declared.
Indiana lost a lot of money as well. The tornado’s fury destroyed over half of the buildings in Selma, a village of around 700 people close to Winchester, according to Delaware County’s emergency management department.
On Friday, catastrophic storms that might have caused massive tornadoes, destructive winds, and a lot of rain threatened over 30 million people from Texas to South Carolina. The states most at risk of severe weather were Texas, Alabama, and portions of Mississippi.
