Cleanup continues in Tuscarawas Valley after Tuesday storm

GNADENHUTTEN — Power crews and residents worked under sweltering heat Wednesday to continue the cleanup process after storms brought down trees and electric lines early Tuesday.

There were widespread outages throughout Tuscarawas County on Wednesday morning.

AEP Ohio said the New Philadelphia area was one of the hardest hit in its service area. The estimated time of restoration is 11 p.m. Saturday.

"That’s the 'all-in' time, meaning we expect all customers to be restored by then, so know there could be restorations happening before that time," the company said in an email to The T-R. "We appreciate the patience of our customers, and please pass along that our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible."

To compound the situation, the county was under an excessive heat warning, with heat index values forecast to be above 100 degrees. That made it dangerous for people working outside and created problems for individuals normally vulnerable to high temperatures (elderly, infants, those with certain medical conditions).

Beat the heat: With a heat wave expected Wednesday, here is advice to stay safe

The situation was slowly improving in Gnadenhutten, one of the communities hardest hit by the storm.

"Power is on to small parts of town, still a lot of cleanup, still some road closures, still some lines and poles down," said Steve Wright, chief of the Arrowhead Fire District in Gnadenhutten.

Residents cope with damage, power outages

He said residents were coping with the situation.

"They seem well, working together to help get things cleaned up," Wright said. "Even those who may potentially lose their homes are positive."

Area businesses have stepped up to help out residents.

Wright said Hog Heaven brought food to residents on Tuesday evening. Pangrazio's brought lunch to workers and Rural King supplied bottled water.

In Uhrichsville, Mayor Mark Haney received an anonymous contribution to pay for water park entrance fees Wednesday for any child whose home is located in Midvale, Tuscarawas, Gnadenhutten, Port Washington and their surrounding townships who do not have power. This will be limited to the first 250 children. Parents must prove residency through ID at the entrance window.

Port Washington fared well in the storm, according to Mayor Tom Gardner.

Most of the damage was in the village cemetery, where five or six trees were knocked down, along with some tombstones.

"We've taken care of that pretty much," he said.

Gardner said he was unaware of any property damage in the town.

AEP Ohio gives update on when the power will return

AEP Ohio said the storm brought down more than 100 poles and downed power lines across its service territory, including some large transmission lines.

"Approximately 1,400 line, tree, assessor, contractor and support personnel are fully engaged with approximately 500 additional personnel on the way for tomorrow (Wednesday) morning," the company said. "In addition, drones and four helicopters have been working in the Upper Sandusky, Lexington, Cambridge, Wooster and Zanesville areas to assist in assessment efforts."

AEP gave details on its restoration process.

"Essential services such as hospitals, fire and police stations and water treatment plants are our top priority," it said. "Damaged main lines are also being repaired to restore power to the largest number of customers. Crews then work to energize clusters of homes and businesses.

"Once the main lines have been restored, crews then focus on restoring power to individual homes and businesses. This step often takes the most time as each repair affects only a few customers."

Several cooling centers have been established for residents without power, according to the Tuscarawas County Emergency Management Agency:

• Claymont Public Library (Dennison Branch), 15 N. Fourth St., Dennison — Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Thursday.

• Claymont Public Library (Uhrichsville Branch), 215 E. Third St., Uhrichsville — closed Wednesday; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Tuscarawas County Convention & Visitors Bureau, 124 E. High Ave., New Philadelphia — Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Tuscarawas County Library (Main Branch), 121 Fair Ave. NW, New Philadelphia — Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Tuscarawas County Library (Tuscarawas Branch), 209 S. Main St., Tuscarawas — Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 1 to 8 p.m.

• Tuscarawas County Senior Center, 425 Prospect St., Dover — Wednesday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Gnadenhutten Masonic Temple, 112 S. Walnut St., Gnadenhutten — open Wednesday and Thursday; hours have yet to be finalized. If the building is not open, contact the village hall at 740-254-4307 or cell phone for Fiscal Officer Kim Stull at 330-795-0611. Any donations can be dropped off to the same location, village officials ask that you call ahead.

• Dover/New Philadelphia Salvation Army, 809 Emmet Ave. NW, New Philadelphia — Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• West Chester Community Center, 6451 State Route 342, Tippecanoe — Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Cleanup continues in Tuscarawas Valley after Tuesday storm