Monroe Chat

Per Middletown Journal


HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones lowered the state of emergency in Butler County to Level 1 at 9 a.m. Sept. 15.

The sheriff's office cautions that power outages and downed lines have caused hazardous driving conditions countywide. Intersections where traffic signals are not operating become 4-way stops.

"Please refrain from contacting your public service agencies until an actual emergency exists," says a statement from the sheriff's office. "If your property has sustained minor damage and/or you need a report, please contact your public service agency after this emergency has been lifted.

Meanwhile, most of Butler County remains without power this morning. Duke Energy estimates that more than 575,000 people in Ohio are still in the dark as of 7:45 a.m. today, including more than 112,000 in Butler County.

At its peak, more than 875,000 people across southwest Ohio were without power yesterday, including more than 140,000 customers in Butler County.

In Hamilton, Mayor Don Ryan said 40 to 50 percent of the city's electric is back in service. He said most of the west side is still out of service, but Lindewald and the High Street area has electric.

"We are asking residents to remain calm and help their neighbors. I have seen a lot of this as I drove through neighborhoods in the city. That's what Hamilton is all about. Our goal is to have all the power restored by the end of the day," Ryan said.

Water service was uninterrupted for customers of Hamilton, Middletown and Butler County.

All of the schools in Butler County have been closed today.

Hamilton and Middletown city offices are open. Butler County offices are closed.

Bill Turner, director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency said late last night, Sept. 14, that most of the damage was concentrated in the county's western sections from Fairfield north to Middletown. Approximately 52,000 people are without power in Warren County, for example, according to Duke Energy.

Turner said today he was talking with local hospitals running on back-up generators and continuing to assess the heaviest hit areas.

"We're cautioning the hospitals to not wait until they're last minute to order fuel (for back-up generators)," Turner said. "If you wait until the end, it may be too late to get the fuel to you."

He said officials from one hospital said they could last about five days on reserve power.

Turner is also warning residents who are cleaning up.

"The power lines are down all over the place, and you don't want to mess with them," he said.

Gas stations — the few that have regained power — are quickly running out of fuel, even as dozens of cars stall traffic on roadways attempting to get to a pump. Gas stations that are open — including the Meijer on Ohio 177 on Hamilton's west side and Speedway at N. Washington Boulevard, are only pumping premium gas.

Likewise, the Meijer and Kroger on the city's west side have run out of ice, but customers are flocking to beverage aisles, carrying pop and water to their cars by the case.

Most local residents are taking the free day off work to clear debris from their yards.

Police and fire dispatchers remain busy this morning. During the storm's peak yesterday, dispatch centers for the Butler County Sheriff's Office and local municipalities and townships were hundreds of calls for service behind, attending to only the most severe.

The roof of the Government Services Center has been damaged, and county officials are estimating damages to county properties.

This morning, there are still reports coming in for downed trees and electrical wires. Police are also helping to ease traffic in major intersections, although there are fewer vehicles on the road as most businesses and schools are closed for the day.