ASHLAND — Just over 20 residents in the Nankin area were affected by a tornado that ripped through the area last week, said Ashland County’s EMA director.
Anne Strouth, the county’s new EMA director, gave commissioners a report from last week’s tornado and storms, saying most damage affected Nankin, Savannah and New London.
Strouth confirmed an EF0 tornado ripped through that area from 8:47 p.m. to 8:49 p.m., causing power outages and damage to structures. She said there were no injuries reported.
The National Weather Service states EF0 tornadoes reach wind speeds anywhere from 65 to 85 mph. Strouth said the tornado on June 15 reached 85 mph.
The EMA director said the tornado tracked southeast, basically following Township Road 713 for a little over a mile, where “a good majority of the damage” occurred.
A number of roads closed Thursday night but were reopened by Friday. Power turned on by Friday afternoon, Strouth said.
According to data collected by the county’s 211 service, there were 22 people from that area who reported damage from the tornado.
“Damage consisted of roof damage to barn damage to garage door damage to uprooted trees to flooding and hail damage,” Strouth said, adding there was one barn that was essentially flattened.
Tornado sirens
Strouth and Ashland County commissioner Jim Justice said they received calls from people around the county complaining of not hearing the tornado sirens that night.
Strouth said the sirens were originally used to signal air raids in the 1950s and 1960s. They would alert residents who were outside of their homes to take shelter. In the 1970s, officials began converting them into sirens used to alert residents of tornadoes and severe weather.
“The sirens are not meant to alert those individuals who are indoors. It’s to alert people who are outside as a warning to go seek shelter someplace else,” she said.
She said sirens are also not meant to serve as the only alert to residents of imminent danger due to weather — especially in today’s age of sophisticated technology.
Today, commercial broadcasting through radio, TV and other online notifications should be used as a “plan A,” she said.
“That is the best avenue for receiving information,” she said.
Ashland County uses the Wireless Emergency Notification System, or WENS, to alert people through notifications sent directly to email or phone numbers via text messages.
Property damage forms
Ashland County Auditor Cindy Funk reminded residents of the “Application for Valuation Deduction for Destroyed or Damaged Real Property.”
She said around 10 residents have already filled out the form that allows them to save money on property taxes in 2024.
If filed with the county auditor’s office by Dec. 31, property owners could receive a 75% reduction in the valuation of their properties come tax season in 2023.
For example, if the damage was $10,000, the property tax valuation would decrease by $7,500 — resulting in a smaller tax bill come next year, Funk has said.
