A storm that downed trees, blocked a train and knocked out power across Hilliard on Aug. 11, is now under investigation by the National Weather Service for a possible tornado.
ODOT traffic cameras captured a sedan being lifted off the ground and flipped on Interstate 71 near the Weber Road interchange at 10:08 a.m., according to the Columbus Dispatch. No one in the vehicle was injured.
A National Weather Service spokesperson in Wilmington cited the footage and said the agency may send surveyors later this week to determine whether a tornado actually touched down, WOSU reported. The suspected path runs through Dublin and north Columbus. Wind gusts hit 82 mph at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 10:23 a.m.
No tornado warning was issued for Franklin County during the storm, and sirens never sounded. The Franklin County Emergency Management Agency told WOSU that sirens activate only when a tornado warning is in effect.
Hilliard impact
Hilliard police reported just before 11 a.m. Tuesday that the railroad crossing at Avery Road was closed after downed trees blocked a train. Officers were responding to multiple downed trees elsewhere in the city, as we reported Tuesday.
The storm was the second of three systems that moved through central Ohio beginning Monday night. It proved the most damaging, snapping utility poles, downing trees and flooding streets, according to NBC4.
Power restoration could stretch to Friday
As of Aug. 12, more than 63,000 AEP Ohio customers in Franklin County remained without power, part of more than 83,000 outages statewide, according to 10TV. At its peak Tuesday afternoon, outages topped 130,000 customers.
AEP Ohio deployed approximately 3,700 crew members, including out-of-state teams from as far as Oklahoma, and said restoration may continue through Friday. The company reported 98 poles, 565 spans of wire, 29 crossarms and 18 transformers damaged.
"We're gonna need some patience from our customers, cause this is going to take a couple days, and we understand that that's not great for them to hear, but there's an extensive amount of damage," Matt Bennett, AEP Ohio's director of operations, told WOSU on Tuesday.
Northwest Columbus is expected to have power restored by noon Friday. AEP Ohio has not provided a Hilliard-specific timeline; residents can check their address at outagemap.aepohio.com.
What residents can do
AEP Ohio customers who lost food due to the outage can file a claim at aepclaims.com, though storm-related outages are typically not eligible for reimbursement under the company's standard terms. Customers should check homeowner's or renter's insurance for spoiled food and other losses. Households receiving SNAP benefits have 10 days from the loss to apply for replacement benefits through their county's Job and Family Services office.
Gov. Mike DeWine and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther were scheduled to provide a joint storm-response update at noon Aug. 12.
