On Wednesday afternoon, power was lost to more than 48,000 DP&L customers in the Miami Valley. As of Thursday afternoon, there were about 4,000 still without power.
Due to the extensive damage, some customers may not have power again until this morning, officials said. More than 1,000 people have worked since Wednesday night to get power restored.
For those who needed to cool off Thursday, DP&L opened cooling centers at Fairmont High School in Kettering and Hara Arena in Trotwood.
Tom Tatham, director of operations at DP&L, said free ice would be available.
“We understand folks want their power on as quickly as possible and it is an inconvenience … we’re hoping this can help just a little,” Tatham said.
According to its website, the company may open cooling centers again today. Those in need of assistance should call or visit the DP&L website www.dpandl.com for details.
About 200 people were at the DP&L headquarters Thursday handling phone calls and requests for assistance.
Also on Thursday, the National Weather Service was surveying damage around the state.
The NWS determined that Hillard near Columbus experienced a microburst, which is a sudden strong surge downward of air from within the storm. Damage revealed 95 mph winds.
In Cridersville, weather service officials were trying to determine if any winds were tornadic.
A state of emergency was declared for the Auglaize County village in the aftermath of storms.
Two elderly people trapped in their homes were rescued, but did not require a trip to the hospital, according to Mayor Lorali Myers and police chief John Drake.
The storms ripped away the roof of a lumber business and deposited pieces of it across the village. No one was inside when that occurred.
Cooler temperatures are expected today and through the weekend. Skies will be mostly clear and cool into this morning.
Humidity will be lower, said Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Rich Wirdzek.
The high for today will be in the low 80s, and temperatures will reach the mid 80s Saturday and Sunday.
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