Winds disrupt electricity, events in the Mid-Ohio Valley
A car drives between pieces of downed trees that fell onto Rosemar Road outside Vienna during high winds Saturday. Vienna Fire Chief Steve Scholl said police responded to the scene and civilians cut the trees and moved them out of the road. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A member of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department directs traffic near Walmart on Grand Central Avenue while traffic lights were out due to a loss of power early Saturday evening. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A car drives between pieces of downed trees that fell onto Rosemar Road outside Vienna during high winds Saturday. Vienna Fire Chief Steve Scholl said police responded to the scene and civilians cut the trees and moved them out of the road. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
A member of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department directs traffic near Walmart on Grand Central Avenue while traffic lights were out due to a loss of power early Saturday evening. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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VIENNA -- Heavy winds knocked out power and disrupted events in the Mid-Ohio Valley for the second Saturday in a row.
Around 6:15 p.m. Saturday, more than 13,000 Mid-Ohio Valley residents in West Virginia were without power, according to FirstEnergy's website. In Ohio, more than 700 AEP Ohio and Washington Electric Cooperative customers in Washington County had lost electricity, along with 129 in Monroe, 290 in Morgan, nearly 720 in Noble and 638 in Athens County.
Traffic lights were reportedly out on portions of Seventh Street in Parkersburg and Grand Central Avenue in Vienna, but had been restored by 6:15 p.m.. Multiple stores and restaurants along Grand Central also lost power.
The high wind warning - gusts of up to 60 mph were forecast - issued by the National Weather Service for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday led organizers to announce Friday night they were calling off the Mid-Ohio Valley Easter Parade, at least for Saturday.
"We want it to be a happy occasion," said Kiki Angelos, parade founder and coordinator. "We didn't want anybody to get hurt."
Angelos said she hopes to reschedule the parade, likely after Easter so people can spend time with their families next weekend. A new date will be announced once it's finalized, she said.
The first day of the New Era Kite Festival was also canceled because of the forecast for high winds. However, the New Era Air and Space Adventure Club still plans on having Sunday's activities as scheduled.
"Kites do not perform well if there is too much wind," said Kelly McGill with the New Era Air and Space Adventure Club. "There was a large concern for safety as well."
McGill reported that the organization was concerned about different elements of the festival being uprooted because of the wind.
"We planned on having inflatables and craft stations," McGill said. "And the trees are still recovering from last week's storm."
The FirstEnergy website said 24 customers in Wood County were still without power Sunday afternoon while the AEP Ohio and Washington Electric Cooperative websites had none in the area reported without power.
Staff reporter Clara Noelle contributed to this story.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.