Ohio tornadoes: 1 dead, 130 injured; so much debris, snowplows used to clear roads

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Tornadoes ripped through Ohio's Miami Valley on Monday night, leaving at least one person dead, injuring dozens of others and causing widespread damage and power outages.

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Tornadoes were reported in Darke, Mercer, Miami and Montgomery counties, according to weather radio spotters.

Update 11:05 p.m. EDT May 28:  Debris from a line of tornadoes that pounded parts of the Miami Valley overnight Monday was so thick on area roadways, authorities used snow plows to clear highways.

Ohio officials also confirmed Tuesday that 130 people were injured by the twisters and either received treatment or are hospitalized.

  • Kettering Health Network hospitals, regional: 79 patients treated for storm-related injuries. 15 people have be admitted for treatment, others are minor, according to a network spokesperson.
  • Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton: 27 storm-related injuries reported. 13 of which were admitted, 14 were observed and discharged.
  • Miami Valley Hospital North, Englewood: 22 storm-related injuries treated
  • Upper Valley Medical Center, Miami County: 1 treated and released for minor storm-related injuries
  • Miami Valley Hospital South in Centerville: 1 patient treated after a fall while running to get to their basement.

At least seven others were injured in Celina from the EF-3 tornado, according to Mercer County officials.

Update 8:30 p.m. EDT May 28: The victim in the tornado that swept through Celina, Ohio, Monday was identified as Dale Hannah, 81, who was killed when a parked vehicle was blown into his house.

New video from WHIO shows the extent of storm damage to Hannah’s home.

 

Authorities are also reporting an uptick in injuries as residents started cleaning up after the violent storms.

Kettering Health Network hospitals are currently experiencing an increase in patients due to people sustaining injuries while cleaning up tornado damage, network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said.

 
 

Update 3:50 p.m. EDT May 28: President Donald Trump said in a Twitter post Tuesday that his administration "fully supports the people of the great State of Ohio as they begin the cleanup and recovery" from Monday's storms.

“We are with you!” he wrote in a subsequent tweet.

 
 

One person, identified by Celina Fire Chief Douglas Wolters as Melvin Dale Hannah, 81, died in Monday’s storm. Wolters told WHIO-TV Hannah died after a parked vehicle was blown into his home as he slept.

Dozens of storm related-injuries have been reported.

Update 3:10 p.m. EDT May 28: Officials with the National Weather Service said Tuesday that a tornado that hit Celina on Monday "was at least an EF3."

 

Videos and photos from Celina showed heavy damage left by the storm.

 

Officials with the NWS are conducting storm surveys after severe storms hit the area Monday night. Authorities earlier confirmed at least two tornado touchdowns in Montgomery and Greene counties. Officials also confirmed a pair of smaller tornadoes touched down in Pickaway County.

 

Final results of the surveys will be released after they are completed.

Update 12:40 p.m. EDT May 28: Officials with the National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday that at least one preliminarily rated EF3 tornado touched down in Montgomery and Greene counties.

Authorities are investigating to determine whether the damage left in Trotwood, in Montgomery County, and in Beavercreek, in Greene County, came from a single tornado or from two separate twisters.

Officials with the NWS are conducting storm surveys after severe storms hit the area Monday night. Final results of the surveys will be released after they are completed.

Updated 10:10 a.m. EDT May 28: Officials in Mercer County confirmed Tuesday that one person died after a tornado hit Celina on Monday night.

 

Earlier, officials said seven people in Celina were hospitalized for storm-related injuries.

In the Dayton-area, 42 people at Miami Valley Hospital and Kettering Health Network hospitals are receiving treatment for storm-related injuries.

Original report: Schools, homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed by the storms. In the immediate aftermath of the tornadoes, tens of thousands were without power, emergency shelters were opened and Montgomery County residents were asked to conserve water.

 

>> On WHIO.com: Tornadoes reported in Darke, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery counties

Storm surveys will be conducted Tuesday to determine where tornadoes touched down and how strong they were.

The mayor of Beavercreek has declared a state of emergency and some areas were under a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday morning.

In Montgomery County, Dayton Creative Printing on Springfield Street in Dayton lost its roof, co-owner Sanda Cottrill said. The building has stood at the address since 1944, she said. There also are several telephone poles down in the area, as well.

Meanwhile, in Brookville, multiple injuries and major damage were reported on Westbrook and Terrace Park Boulevard. The town's high school has lost its roof, and school was canceled for Tuesday, school officials said.

>> On WHIO.com: Viewer images from Monday night's storms

In Mercer County, a tornado likely touched down just east of Celina. Several houses are damaged and power lines are down.

In Miami County, roofs were ripped off homes in the 11,000 block of Hall Road in Laura. A barn that was in a field is missing, Linda Taylor told WHIO.

>> On WHIO.com: PHOTOS: Tornado outbreak in Miami Valley

In Greene County, trees are reported down and a camper is damaged at Gilbert's Party Barn, a Beavercreek Township business. "It's bad," manager Dana Puckett said.

The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

Visit WHIO.com for the latest on this developing story.

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