Latest news with #OhioEMA
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘Moderate flooding' expected to occur: DeWine
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — As the threat for potential flooding looms, Gov. Mike DeWine held a press conference Friday afternoon to discuss what Ohioans should know. Both Jim Tressel, lieutenant governor and Sima Merrick, director of Ohio Emergency Management Agency, joined DeWine to provide tips on preparing for and reacting to the threat of flooding. DeWine said the system is 'slow paced,' which concerns leaders. Experts told DeWine that rainfall will continue off and on all weekend. DeWine also said the experts claim severe thunderstorms could occur in southwest Ohio on Saturday, April 5. As of 3 p.m., an estimated 70 roads across the state are closed due to flooding. The ground, especially across southern Ohio, is described as saturated, meaning flooding and flash flooding is possible. DeWine believes the system will not bring record levels of flooding to the state, but compared it to a system that the state saw in 2021, which would bring 'moderate' levels to southern Ohio. Lt. Gov. Tressel suggested people be vigilant and get to higher ground if needed, as flash flooding can occur rather quickly. 'It's important to be ready for every situation,' said Tressel. 'Flash flooding can happen very quickly. It's important to never drive, walk, or wade through flood water.' Barriers that have been placed on roadways are in place for a reason, according to Tressel. Especially in situations where flooding can occur, you should not attempt to go through the barriers. For any severe weather threat, you should have a bag for each person containing cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items, medication and water to last several days. A flashlight is also reccomended. If you have to leave during a flooding event, you should have a location to meet in case you get separated from other family members. In the case of evacuation, you are encouraged to contact older adults around you to see if they need assistance. Animals, including livestock and pets, need to get to higher ground as well if flooding occurs. For homeowners wanting to utilize a generator, safety is key for usage. 'It is important to know how to use them safely to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and other hazards,' said Ohio EMA. 'Generators and fuel should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors, and attached garages. Install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home.' – Live interactive radar with many layering options lets you track the storms around you – Alerts for severe weather go to your home screen and cue an audio alert – The most accurate hour-by-hour forecast for the next day and week ahead for Dayton – The latest video forecast from Storm Team 2 – Current weather conditions for Dayton, the Miami Valley and anywhere in the United States – Share the weather conditions via text message, email, Facebook or Twitter – You can set multiple custom locations to track forecasts, alerts, radar, and more – News and weather headlines from 2 NEWS and Storm Team 2 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tornado sirens will go off Wednesday. What to know about Ohio Severe Weather Awareness Week
Tornado sirens will sound across Ohio on Wednesday. But don't panic; it probably isn't the start of another devastating tornado season like Ohio had in 2024. Instead, it's a statewide tornado siren test that's part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Ohio. Here's what to know. What to do in a tornado? How to keep you and your family safe during severe weather Gov. Mike DeWine has designated March 16-22, 2025, as Severe Weather Awareness Week, an annual event held each March. He is encouraging all Ohioans to prepare themselves for spring and summer weather hazards, including thunder, lightning, tornadoes and floods. 'Severe weather can impact Ohio at any time of the year, and Severe Weather Awareness Week is a great time to learn about severe weather and how to prepare for it,' DeWine said. 'Being prepared ahead of a disaster is one of the most important things you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.' Record year for tornadoes: Like a bad guest, 2024 season came early, stayed late, and was terrible The statewide tornado drill will be held at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday, March 19. Ohioans are encouraged to participate in the drill and practice their emergency sheltering plans. Ohio counties may use this time to sound and test their outdoor warning sirens and mass notification systems. Schools, households and businesses are also encouraged to practice their tornado drills and emergency plans. 'The statewide tornado drill gives Ohioans a chance to practice safe sheltering before a real severe weather event,' said Ohio Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Sima Merick. 'We encourage all Ohioans to be prepared — stay safe and know what to do when severe weather strikes.' To be prepared for severe weather, the Ohio EMA offers several safety tips. Among them is having a plan for emergencies and keeping an emergency kit in your home and car. National Weather Service safety tips include knowing the best locations to wait out a tornado or severe storm Ohio's tornado season is considered to peak from April through June, according to the National Weather Service. However, tornadoes can and have happened in every month of the year. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tornado sirens will go in Ohio on Wednesday for a statewide test
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
County entities one step closer to receiving disaster relief funds
Feb. 8—On Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine authorized the use of the State Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to support various entities in Ashtabula County with expenses incurred in the Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm, according to a press release from DeWine's office. The SDRP is a reimbursement program used where storm damage amounts do not meet the threshold for federal assistant, but do meet state requirements. It is open to local governments and eligible non-profits, according to the release. Ashtabula County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Fitchet said the governor's announcement is part of the process for local governments and non-profits to get reimbursed for some of their expenses incurred during the storm. He said the threshold for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is very high, and the area did not come close to qualifying for it. "The threshold for public assistance under the state of Ohio's disaster relief program is less, and we did qualify for that, because we turned in just about $1.6 million of costs," Fitchet said. "We had to meet the threshold of more snow than the previous highest snow level, which we surpassed that by double. Having five feet of snow, we weren't going to have any issues with that." All of the data was collected and turned in to the Ohio EMA's disaster branch. "They make sure that we qualified, and we did, so then they turned it into the governor," Fitchet said. Now that DeWine has approved the application, the state will go back to entities that applied for relief funding and verify the costs that were submitted. "All they're doing is validating the numbers, really, that's the process," Fitchet said. DeWine also approved an extra day for the disaster relief. "Typically, under the program, it's for 48 hours, they increased it to 72 because that snow didn't stop," Fitchet said. Communities turned in their expenses for the entire storm, but they will pick the three highest days of those submitted and then get 75% of the submitted costs of those days reimbursed, he said. Everyone who is eligible for reimbursement has received the paperwork they need to do, which will be turned in to the Ohio EMA disaster branch, he said. "Each community gets to pick their three highest [expense] days, so they have to do that," Fitchet said. "This is a process that will go into next month. Then Ohio EMA will take it to the controlling board, which controls the money in Ohio, and they'll get the money released to each of those communities." He said the amount of money received in the county will be below the $1.6 million that was submitted, because entities can only be reimbursed for three days. Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere said the city administration is grateful it's finally happening. "We're very happy all of our partners here were able to push for this, and it came through," he said. "Now we've got to do some final calculations here, and see how much we would actually be receiving and then the time frame in which to receive it." The city submitted a little over $290,00 in costs for the storm, Timonere said. Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford said the city is very grateful to all of the local stakeholders, including the other city managers, the village administrators, the Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners and the county EMA for their collaboration. "They're the real unsung heroes in securing this and seeing to it that we have the resources we needed," he said. Sanford said the city is putting all the required documents together to submit to the Ohio EMA. "It's a very organized process, I have to give credit where it's due," he said. The city's initial estimate of expenses related to the storm was $125,000, Sanford said. "We had a significant amount of overtime, between police, fire, all of our public services, including our streets department, water and wastewater out plowing," he said. "It was a lot." Geneva City Manager Joseph Varckette said in an email the city was pleased to learn about DeWine's decision. "We're also very appreciative of the support and guidance provided by our local EMA Director, Mike Fitchet," he said. "Having the opportunity to recover a good part of our costs associated with that major storm will go a long way in easing the burden placed on our general fund." Varckette thanked the Ohio Department of Transportation and Harpersfield Township for their help during the storm.
