Union County officials said that despite a series of tornado and strong storm warnings for southern Union County, the community was fortunate to avoid damage from the severe weather.
“We had no issues,” said Brad Gilbert, director of the Union County Emergency Management Agency.
Law enforcement officials in the community had similar assessments.
“No issues last night, thank goodness,” said Capt. Nate Sachs with the Marysville Division of Police.
While storm warnings centered around Plain City, Police Chief Dale McKee said there were no issues in that community either.
Shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Union County, noting the alert was “extreme” with “extraordinary threat to life or property.”
The warning noted that a tornado had been observed and “determined to have occurred or to be occurring.”
The National Weather Service is working to assess damage and confirm any tornadoes in the region. Officials said radar detected rotation in several areas of the state, but Union County was not listed among those.
Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch said the county had “no real issues,” noting that much of the rain was south of Union County.
Gilbert said he was prepared for the storms and possible tornados, but they never came. He said there was “some pea-sized hail in Jerome Township, but that was it.”
“There was no official spotting of anything, at least in Union County, no tornados, no funneling was spotted that I am aware of,” Gilbert said.
The director said he monitored emergency radio traffic throughout the evening.
“They didn’t have a peep,” he said. “I talked to the fire chiefs and they hadn’t heard of anything.”
Gilbert said he met Wednesday with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about a site to host discussions about funding available to help property owners recover from tornados and severe weather March 14.
Last week FEMA announced that a “Major Disaster Declaration” had been approved for Union County and other areas around Ohio to help recovery efforts following those storms that pushed through central Union County.
Federal disaster assistance is now available for Union County as well as Logan, Delaware, Auglaize, Crawford, Darke, Hancock, Licking, Mercer, Miami and Richland counties.
Homeowners and renters in the 11 designated Ohio counties can apply for FEMA disaster assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov, using the FEMA mobile app or by calling 800-621-3362.
Gilbert has said FEMA officials will “set up somewhere in the county,” making themselves available to residents with questions. He said a decision about the location as well as dates for when officials will be available to talk should be made “in the next couple of days and we will let people know.”
Gilbert said the assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, rental assistance, and replacement of personal property to help homeowners and renters recover from the effects of the disaster. The declaration also allows the Small Business Administration to offer low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses for homeowners, renters and business owners impacted by the storms.
“People can get assistance whether they are uninsured or under-insured,” he added.
Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
FEMA recommends those applying for federal assistance have a current phone number, their address at the time of the disaster and where they are now staying, a social security number for the person applying for assistance, a general list of damage and losses, banking information if they choose direct deposit and their insurance company, agent and policy number if they have one.
“Those who already made repairs or started their recovery should still apply,” according to information from a FEMA release. “FEMA inspectors are trained to recognize damage caused by a disaster even after recovery has started, and they will discuss that damage with you when they come to your home. Be prepared to show repair receipts, photos and any other disaster-related documentation as well.”
The National Weather Service confirmed that the evening of March 14, an EF-2 tornado touched down in Union County, damaging homes and property in the northern part of the county, specifically in the Broadway area. It was the same line of storms that produced an EF-3 tornado in Logan County which killed three and caused severe property damage in that community.