Portman: President says he'll help Ohio
Governor, senators makes official request to federal government.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine officially requested federal help from President Donald Trump on Tuesday in the aftermath of 21 tornadoes that struck the Dayton area and other parts of Ohio on Memorial Day.
The tornadoes led to flooding, savage straight-line winds and landslides in 10 counties and left Ohio with a disaster of such magnitude that an effective response is beyond the capability of state and affected localities. That’s the assessment of a report and request for help from Ohio government to Federal Emergency Management Agency, released Tuesday.
“There is widespread devastation throughout the impacted counties,” the DeWine administration wrote in the report.
“Homes, entire apartment complexes, and businesses have been destroyed. Power transmission and distribution lines were heavily damaged, with peak power outages in excess of 70,000. Some areas are still without power.”
Hospitals in the impacted areas have reported 385 injuries as a result of the storms, 166 of those in Montgomery County alone.
A preliminary assessment from FEMA, the Small Business Administration and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency found 942 homes and buildings that were “either destroyed or significantly damaged” and 837 more homes and buildings that suffered “minor damage or were slightly affected,” the report said.
The report added: “The greater Dayton water system was directly impacted by these outages as electric service was disrupted to two water plants, numerous pump stations and the well fields that are the source for the system.”
All water boil advisories were not lifted until May 31, four days after the 15 confirmed tornadoes that directly impacted the Dayton region, the state told FEMA.
In Montgomery County, there were five emergency shelters
with 126 people housed. Currently, the report said, there remain three shelters open with 109 residents.
“Many of the areas affected have a high percentage of low-income families that did not have insurance,” the report to FEMA says. “These survivors may not have the means to rebuild and/or relocate without additional support.”
Added the report: “It was reported that many survivors may need mental health assistance to process and deal with the challenging recovery process.”
DeWine first announced Monday said the state will send FEMA a detailed assessmen to f damage and a request for help for individuals who are uninsured or under-insured.
Montgomery County saw four tornadoes touch down on the late evening of May 27 causing major damage in several communities including Brookville, Butler Twp., Clayton, Dayton, Harrison Twp., Riverside, Trotwood and Vandalia.
Five Montgomery County apartment complexes were heavily damaged, including Woodland Hills Apartments (with up to 480 units sustaining damage), Westbrooke Village Apartments (up to about 150 units affected), and River’s Edge Apartments.
In Greene County, three tornadoes touched down, ranging in destructive power from EF1 to EF2 (both in Ross Twp.) to an EF3, in Beavercreek, the state’s report says.
One Greene County tornado touche dd own at 11:12 p.m. and stayed on the ground until 11:32 p.m., with wind speeds estimated to reach 135 to 140 mph and a path width of 0.70 of a mile, traveling 10 miles, the state said.
An EF3 a lso touched in Darke County and moved east into Miami County causing damage.
The city of Celina also suffered an E F3 tor- nado, which resulted in one fatality.
In all, the tornadoes two weeks ago damaged about 1,800 buildings statewide, leaving local and state governments with asituation they cannot handle alone, DeWine said Monday after a tour of GPS device manufacturer Trimble in Huber Heights.
“We have to show that the disaster is of such magnitude, that it’s so big, that it cannot be handled by the state, and it cannot be handled by the local governments,” DeWine said. “This was a widespread disaster.”
DeWine believes the tornadoes meet FEMA’s criteria for assistance, but he didn’t know how FEMA will respond.
Cassie Ringsdorf, a FEMA spokeswoman, said help from FEMA does not require congressional action, Ringsdorf said.
“Once it gets to FEMA, we review it in the Department of Homeland Security, and then it ultimately is referred to the president,” she said. “That’s where a decision is made.”
Ringsdorf agreed with DeWine’s characterization of FEMA’s criteria for assistance.
Brown, Portman ask Trump for help
Ohio U.S. senators Rob Portman and Sherr odBrown sent a letter to Trump urging him to make a major disaster declaration in the parts of Ohio struck by the Memorial Day tornadoes.
“We write to urge you to act swiftly on the request by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 10 counties in Ohio,” the letter said. “The State and local governments in the affected areas do not have the capability to sufficiently respond to this major disaster, and therefore, federal assistance is necessary to supplement recovery efforts.”
Portman said he has spoken to Trump about the tornadoes and urged him to move quickly on a disaster declaration. “He said he would help,” Portman said.
“We need i t,” Portman said. “The damage was extensive and hopefully the administration will respond quickly.”