Ohio Tornado: No Injuries, But Plenty of Damage

DAYTON, OH — Employees of businesses huddled in restrooms and walk-in freezers Wednesday evening as a pair of tornadoes with wind speeds estimated at 100 miles per hour barreled through the Dayton area, damaging several buildings, according to media reports. The National Weather Service has confirmed that one of the reported tornadoes, accompanied by heavy rains and lightning, was classified as an EF1.

In one of the hardest-hit areas, Park Layne, the tornado tore a roof off the Sunoco gas station and Family Dollar store on South Dayton Lakeview Road, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. A McDonald’s restaurant also was damaged.

No injuries were reported, but several roads in the area remained closed Thursday as workers cleared debris. Widespread damage was reported in Clark and Miami counties.

One person trapped inside a Family Dollar store in Miami County had to be rescued, WHIO-TV reported. The tornado disrupted graduation ceremonies for Xneia High School’s Class of 2017 graduation ceremonies at the Nutter Center at Wright State University in Fairborn, the Dayton Daily News reported. Students were asked to move away from the floor area in the event that a large monitor that hangs over the floor during basketball games fell. The 3,000 at the event were locked down until the storm passed.

WDTN reported that residents of Bethel Township, where tornado sirens are cost prohibitive because of the large coverage area, residents only received notification of the tornado if they had signed up for a mobile phone app or were watching social media. Trees were downed and roofs were torn off across the township.

Watch raw video of the damage below.

Screenshot via WDTN/Associated Press