Multiple road closures in Washington County after Tuesday’s thunderstorms
Maintenance crews work to remove debris from the road on Carpenter Bridge heading from St. Marys into Newport. The bridge was down to one lane Wednesday to allow for safety crews to work on moving tree limbs after the storms on Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
County Road 26 near Jennings Hill Rd. was closed off Wednesday due to debris from Tuesday’s thunderstorms. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
The sign on Newport IGA was torn from the structure as a result of the severe thunderstorms on Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Maintenance trucks were piled high with debris and large tree limbs in St. Marys Wednesday after the severe thunderstorms. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Crews work on removing tree limbs and debris from roads in St. Marys on Wednesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Damage is visible on Third Street in St. Marys near the Hi Carpenter Memorial Bridge Wednesday morning following a severe storm Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Maintenance crews work to remove debris from the road on Carpenter Bridge heading from St. Marys into Newport. The bridge was down to one lane Wednesday to allow for safety crews to work on moving tree limbs after the storms on Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
County Road 26 near Jennings Hill Rd. was closed off Wednesday due to debris from Tuesday’s thunderstorms. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
The sign on Newport IGA was torn from the structure as a result of the severe thunderstorms on Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Maintenance trucks were piled high with debris and large tree limbs in St. Marys Wednesday after the severe thunderstorms. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Crews work on removing tree limbs and debris from roads in St. Marys on Wednesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
Damage is visible on Third Street in St. Marys near the Hi Carpenter Memorial Bridge Wednesday morning following a severe storm Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
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Severe thunderstorms from Tuesday evening resulted in property damage, fallen trees, and multiple road closures in eastern Washington County, announced by the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the County Engineer's Office on Wednesday.
Road closures included County Road 14, 9, and 12 at State Route 26, County Road 9 between County Road 14 and 21, and Township Road 37. The Millcreek bridge was closed following the storms. Maintenance crews are working on cleanup and more updates will become available.
The sheriff's office reported "all county rounds in Fearing, Lawrence, Newport, Independence, and Grandview Townships will be one lane only due to heavy debris."
Residents are advised to be cautious and aware of safety crews as maintenance tends to fallen trees and debris from the storm.
American Electric Power Ohio personnel said there were 2,908 customers in Marietta without power during the storms.
As of Wednesday afternoon, AEP Ohio reported over 200 power outages between Devola and New Matamoras.
AEP said their crews were working quickly to restore power as soon as possible. Repairs were expected to be completed by 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Janet Kidd, a Lower Salem resident, said the creek near her home was the highest it had been since 1998.
"It's nothing like I've ever seen before," she said. "The creek flooded about eight feet over the clothes line."
Kidd said she lost her power during the storms around 3 p.m. on Tuesday and it didn't come back on until around 11 a.m. the next day.
"The storm was different for every area, and it rained really hard here," she said. "We did have a lot of wind but not anything like a tornado."
Kidd said the creek still hasn't receded and it will probably take a few days for it to return to its normal levels. She said she has seen road closure signs in the area due to storm debris and heavy rainfall.
"Maintenance has done such a good job," she said about the crews working Tuesday and Wednesday to clean up after the storms.
The Washington County Emergency Management director could not be reached for comment Wednesday due to the volume of emergencies he was handling.
Personnel with emergency management said he was evaluating the damage in the county.
Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com