Powerful storm slams Midwest leaving 700,000 customers without power

Powerful storm slams Midwest leaving 700,000 customers without power The risk of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain will persist over the coming days throughout the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the central Appalachians - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Emergency services continued to carry out water rescues on Wednesday while utility crews worked to clear fallen trees and power lines across the Midwest. The widespread severe weather brought tornadoes, torrential rainfall, and flash floods, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of residents. Fatalities have been reported across several states. In Geneva, Indiana, a four-year-old boy died on Tuesday after a tree collapsed onto a residence, according to the Jennings County Sheriff's Office. In Roseville, Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed that a medical emergency turned fatal when submerged roadways prevented first responders from reaching the patient. Meanwhile, authorities in Portage, Indiana, are looking into whether storm conditions contributed to a fatal home explosion. The Ohio Department of Corrections reported that a lightning strike hit a correctional facility southwest of Cleveland on Tuesday, injuring 16 incarcerated individuals who required hospital treatment. DeWine stated on Wednesday that four of those individuals remained in the hospital, with one suffering from severe injuries. Numerous water rescues were carried out by emergency teams across Ohio and western Pennsylvania. To assist recovery efforts, DeWine deployed 40 members of the Ohio Army National Guard to two counties situated east of Columbus. Teresa Fouts-Imler, emergency management director for Athens County, Ohio, stated that emergency operators received almost 300 distress calls on Tuesday. Among those, 42 involved stranded motorists trapped in rising floodwaters, with additional calls coming in on Wednesday as runoff drained into the Ohio River. In Crooksville, Ohio, knee-deep floodwaters invaded the home of Kaitlyn Rodgers early Tuesday morning, trapping her, her husband, and their four children inside. Unable to navigate the fierce currents on their own, the family was evacuated by firefighters using a rescue boat before dawn. "Water just started pouring into the house," she said. "Because of my house being very old, when the water was coming up I was very worried about the electric outlets that were on the floor, because there was water literally coming out of them so I was afraid that my children were going to get shocked." She added, "It was just very scary." Storm damage stretched across a broad region extending from metropolitan Chicago to western Pennsylvania. According to the National Weather Service, the risk of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain will persist over the coming days throughout the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the central Appalachians. Data from poweroutage.us showed that close to 700,000 customers were without electricity by midday Wednesday across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, reflecting a slight improvement from earlier morning totals. During a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Andrew Ginther issued a state of emergency for Columbus, Ohio. The declaration provides the capital city with resources to address widespread power blackouts and clean up debris from fallen trees and downed wires across multiple neighborhoods. The National Weather Service confirmed that at least three tornadoes touched down in counties located south of Chicago. Tornado sirens sounded across the Chicago metropolitan region on Tuesday amid darkening skies. Flight operations were grounded temporarily at both major Chicago airports, with aviation officials advising travelers to expect ongoing delays while air traffic backlogs were cleared. Images shared on social media across the Chicago region and neighboring Indiana depicted submerged roads, power lines entangled with tree limbs, and residential structures with severe roof damage caused by high winds and torrential rain. "No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement," said Javid Jenkins of Homewood, a Chicago suburb. "We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this." The 54-year-old Jenkins noted that he was searching for fuel to run a generator in an effort to prevent food in his refrigerator from spoiling. Weather observers logged a wind gust reaching 99 mph (159 kph) in Gary, Indiana, while several personal weather stations in other locations registered gusts exceeding 80 mph (128 kph). The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center noted Tuesday evening that early evidence suggests the severe weather tracking from Iowa into Indiana was a derecho. These long-duration, straight-line wind systems produce heavy rain over vast distances, causing destruction often comparable to tornadoes or hurricanes. "Total devastation. No roof," said Kerry Hourigan, standing outside her home of 25 years in Tinley Park, another Chicago suburb. "Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared." Meteorologist Scott Baker explained that the Midwest sat along the perimeter of a weather pattern known as a "ring of fire," which generated repeated waves of moisture, atmospheric instability, and severe weather. In Dayton, Ohio, rainfall reached 2.07 inches (5.25 cm), breaking a daily record that had stood since 1915, according to the weather service. Meteorologists warned that successive rounds of precipitation will continue to pose flooding risks throughout the Ohio Valley into early Friday. 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