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Published: Saturday, June 9, 2007

Electric may be out till Sunday from storm

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For a gallery of photos from the storms, click here

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT

Friday night's storm came at an inopportune time for Chaney High School graduates.

The school was midway through its commencement ceremony at Stambaugh Auditorium when the lights began flickering. The lights went out entirely during Superintendent Wendy Webb's announcement that a tornado had been spotted in Canfield.

Students, their friends and families were instructed to wait the storm out in the basement.

"Why us?" said graduate Teaira McDowell, 17. "After four years, why us?"

McDowell had been planning a celebratory bonfire. Outside, rain was coming down in sheets.

"I guess not now," she said.

Forty-five minutes later, Chaney resumed its graduation ceremony where it left off.

"Although the speeches made here may not be long remembered, that tornado drill we had will," said Bruce Donahue, a dean at the school.

The storm also had dire consequences for a man in the Beaver Township area. Township firefighters and EMS personnel responded late Friday afternoon to New Buffalo Road where a man had been struck by lightning.

Township police were unable to give a name or condition of the man late Friday.

Power outages

Walter M. Duzzny, executive director of Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency, said there were a lot of trees and power lines down across the entire county.

"My concern is that [today] people will begin attempting to trim back tree limbs and trees, but there may still be power lines intertwined," Duzzny said.

He also cautioned parents not to let children play around or attempt to climb downed trees until the live wire threat was abated.

Paul Harkey, area manager for Ohio Edison, said most of the outages were due to limbs and trees falling on power lines because of the high winds.

Harkey said about 50,000 people were without power in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Mercer counties with about 40,000 of those in the city of Youngstown. He said dozens of crews would be working through the weekend to restore power, but many people would be without electricity until Sunday.

"This looks like it will be going into sometime Sunday evening because of the extent of tree damage to our lines," he said.

Harkey said Friday's storm was one of the worst storms he has seen in his decades with the company.

Official: No indication of tornado

Despite Webb's announcement, Duzzny said there were no reports of a tornado touching down in the county.

"There are was no indication that there was a tornado. It appeared to be gust winds," he said.

Damage throughout the area was widespread.

Reports from various police and fire departments showed heavy storm damage on Youngstown's West and North sides as well as surrounding suburban communities.

A large tree fell down and crushed a car on Burkey Road in Austintown.

Torrie Curry of Martin Luther King Boulevard can attest to the destructive path cut by the storm. A large tree outside her apartment building was lifted by the roots and laid alongside the building. The tree damaged part of the roof on the building when it fell.

A few hundred yards away from Curry's home lay a large Lamar Advertising billboard. The sign had stood at the on ramp to Interstate 680 telling passers-by where to call for rent-to-own homes in the area, but after the storm passed it was on its side blocking traffic. Crews worked to remove the mangled steel and handle electric cables hooked to the sign.

"The high winds just took our sign and laid it right down," said Rich Lucy of Lamar. "Tonight we are just going to try to get it off the road then go from there."

Saturday, June 9, 2007