Hilliard residents urged to report Aug. 11 storm damage

Ten days after storms knocked down trees and power lines across Hilliard, Franklin County emergency officials are pushing residents and business owners who haven't yet reported property damage to do so now.

Franklin County Emergency Management & Homeland Security posted the call on social media Aug. 21, asking anyone whose home, property or business was affected by the Aug. 11 storms to file a report at franklincountyohio.gov/fcemhs. The City of Hilliard is echoing that message on its own storm response page, which was updated Aug. 20.

The reports help officials gauge the full scope of damage and identify areas that may need additional assistance, according to FCEM&HS. No deadline has been announced.

What hit Hilliard

The Aug. 11 storms brought downed trees, downed power lines, power outages and property damage to the city, according to Hilliard's storm cleanup page. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado in south Columbus that day, along with straight-line winds up to 100 mph elsewhere in Franklin County, including the Upper Arlington area, WYSO reported Aug. 17. Six tornadoes touched down across western and central Ohio during the storm system, with the strongest an EF2 twister in Clark County packing winds estimated at 115 mph, according to additional NWS analysis reported Aug. 18.

Cleanup still underway

City chipper crews have been working neighborhood by neighborhood to collect tree limbs and debris. As of Aug. 17, crews had finished the Blue Zone and moved to the Purple Zone, Britton Farms and Carrington Place, with the Green Zone next.

Residents who still have limbs and branches after crews pass through can submit a Hilliard Helps ticket at hilliardohio.gov/hilliardhelps. A chipper drop-off site is open at the parking lot next to the Public Service Building, 3790 Municipal Way, for fallen trees and large branches from the Aug. 11 storms only.

Property tax relief available

Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano announced that property owners with storm-damaged or destroyed property may qualify for property tax relief under Ohio law. The deadline for the property value review is Sept. 5.