By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — On Friday evening, nearly 24 hours after severe weather made its way across approximately 25 miles of Darke County, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Wilmington, Ohio announced its findings as to whether the storm produced a tornado.

NWS was in the county on Friday morning and put out a statement around 7 p.m. that stated, “The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio has confirmed an EF2 tornado occurred in Darke and Miami counties in Ohio, on March 14. This tornado caused EF1 damage in Darke County, and EF2 damage in northwestern Miami County. This tornado is believed to have crossed into Darke County, Ohio from Randolph County, Ind. NWS Wilmington, Ohio is coordinating with NWS Indianapolis, Ind on the full scope of the track of this tornado. A final assessment, including tornado estimated maximum wind speeds and track data, will be completed at some point in the next few days.”

The NWS in Indianapolis reported that while in Indiana, the tornado had wind speeds up to 165 mph and was 700 yards wide at one point. According to NWS, the storm was a high-end EF2 with sustained winds around 130 mph until it reached Winchester when it jumped up to a high-end EF3 with winds from 155-165 mph. The tornado formed north of Selma, Ind. and travelled approximately 25 miles before it got to the state line. Although there were no deaths listed in association with the storm in Randolph County, the NWS said there were 38 injuries reported.

With the tornado causing EF1 damage in Darke County, the wind speed would have registered from 86-110 mph. The intensity grew as it crossed over into Miami County where the wind speeds registered from 111-135 mph.

There were six tornadoes confirmed in Ohio from the March 14 storms. In addition to the storm that caused damage in Darke and Miami counties, tornadoes were also confirmed in western Mercer County, west of Celina, EF1; eastern Mercer County and western Auglaize County, west of Wapakoneta, EF1; southern Auglaize County near Fryburg continuing through the Lakeview area in northern Logan County, EF3; central Union County near Broadway, EF2; and central Delaware County continuing through north-central Licking County, EF1.

In addition to the NWS completing its survey on Friday , Darke County Emergency Management, Greenville Township Fire & Rescue and the Darke County Sheriff’s Office completed a damage assessment. According to Darke County EMA, five residential properties were destroyed, 15 properties had major damage, 18 had minor damage and 15 more were affected.

EMA Director Mindy Saylor added, “We are working with the Darke County Solid Waste District to share resources for property owners as the clean-up is underway. Residents are reminded to work closely with their insurance companies, track their expenses with receipts and to only work with trusted and verified clean-up companies and contractors. Anyone who was affected is encouraged to call the American Red Cross at 1-800-RedCross. Those not directly involved in the clean-up and repair should avoid the areas of damage.”

State Representative Angie King (R-Celina) released a statement following the devasting tornadoes and severe thunderstorms that tore through the area, “My heart is broken to hear about the loss of life in these storms in neighboring Logan County,” said King. “Here in my district, we have seen structural damage and some injuries, and my prayers go out to all who were impacted. We have a deep-rooted sense of community here in West Central Ohio and I am grateful to the emergency services that have responded in support of those in need. I have been in contact with the governor’s office to help work on the next steps of recovering from these storms. If there is anything I can do to assist you during this challenging time, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.”

Darke County EMA provided the following information for persons affected by the storm.

Trash and Construction Debris

After you have contacted your insurance, you may begin the clean-up process. Large roll-off containers can be obtained from Rumpke or Best Way Disposal. You may also deliver your debris to their locations. Rumpke can be reached at 937-548-2514. Best Way can be reached at 1-800-745-5414. MAKE SURE YOUR TRASH DOESN’T CONTAIN ANY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SUCH AS PAINTS, OILS, OR BATTERIES.

Woody Debris

Residents can drop off debris at Shawnee Prairie Preserve, 4267 State Route 502 Greenville, 937-547-0165. The Park District will accept standard yard debris, such as

branches, limbs, and brush. Larger logs for splitting are also accepted. Please look for signage along the service lane, west of the Nature Center parking lot, and use

this to indicate the drop location. DO NOT BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY WITH DEBRIS. NO DEBRIS ACCEPTED AFTER APRIL 1st.

Appliances, Electronics, Sellable Metals

Residents can drop off white goods and electronics at 1 Shot Scrap and Recycling. 1 Shot is located at 6377 Hahn Rd, Bradford. They can be reached by called 937-447-3300. 1 Shot pays for aluminum, copper, silver, gold and other types of metals. No need to remove freon.

Darke County EMA and Darke County Solid Waste is available to answer questions about restoring electrical services, food and household supplies, food pantries, and rental and utility assistance. For more information, contact Darke County EMA at 937-548-1444 or Darke County Solid Waste at 937-547-0827.

Visit the Daily Advocate/The Early Bird Facebook Page to see more photos and videos of the damage.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].