"We had a gust in Portsmouth at 76 mph at the emergency operations center at 4:42 p.m. That was the highest recorded in the state for this line of storms," said Kim Carver, director of Emergency Management Services for Scioto County. "That's probably the highest wind gust we've had here in years."
"A big mess is what we've got," said a dispatcher for the Portsmouth Police Department. "Trees down and power lines down all over the place."
There was an unconfirmed report of a person killed by a falling tree along Ohio 125 near Camp Oyo.
"A rescue operation between the Nile and Washington fire departments was under way there about 5:30 p.m.," Carver said, but she had no further details. Messages left at the fire departments were not immediately returned.
She said trees and tree limbs, smashed window glasses and downed electric lines were reported across Portsmouth and portions of Scioto County, enough damage to keep repair crews working into the night.
"We've had reports of trees and at least one barn blown down, and the reports are from all over the county," said a dispatcher for the Scioto County Sheriff's Office.
"There was significant power outages in the western part of the county," Carver said. "Primary radio communications were knocked out and emergency workers had to use the EMA radio system to communicate."
In Kentucky, the roof of Cash Express in downtown South Shore was ripped away and blown across Main Street toward the insurance office business of Ron LeMaster, according to City Commissioner David Piatt.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office reported numerous trees blown down across the county and one barn ripped apart on Cherry Fork.
One roof was confirmed as being blown off a house on Ohio 772 in Pike County.
G. SAM PIATT can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236, or spiatt@heartlandpublications.com.
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