Severe Midwest Storms Cause Deaths, Power Outages and Flooding
Tornadoes, heavy rain and flash floods across the Midwest left at least two people dead, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and prompted emergency rescues.
First responders and utility crews worked through the night to clear roads after severe storms swept the Midwest, producing tornadoes, heavy rain and flash flooding. A 4-year-old boy died when a tree fell on a home in Geneva, Indiana, and a resident of Roseville, Ohio, died during a health emergency after flooded roads delayed assistance, officials said. In Portage, Indiana, investigators are looking into a house explosion that also resulted in a fatality.
Lightning struck a prison complex southwest of Cleveland, injuring 16 inmates who were hospitalized, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections. The National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes south of Chicago and warned that severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall would continue across the Midwest, Ohio Valley and central Appalachians for several days.
More than 700,000 customers were without electricity on Wednesday morning in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Governor Mike DeWine deployed 40 Ohio Army National Guard members to assist in two counties east of Columbus. Water rescues were reported in several states, and wind gusts reached 99 mph in Gary, Indiana.
The storm system, identified as a derecho, produced straight-line winds and intense rain comparable to tornado or hurricane damage. Dayton, Ohio, set a daily rainfall record with 2.07 inches, breaking a 1915 mark. Flights at Chicago’s two major airports were temporarily halted, and residents described extensive damage to homes and power lines.