Governor Declares State Of Emergency

Governor John Kasich Saturday declared a State of Emergency for the entire State of Ohio after severe storms and high winds knocked out power for around one-million power company customers across two-thirds of the state.  The widespread outages could take up to a week to fully restore and together with the current severe heat wave could create crisis situations for the elderly, young children and those with sensitive medical conditions. The Governor’s declaration authorizes state agencies to take any necessary actions to assist local government authorities anywhere in Ohio to help respond, cleanup and recovery efforts and coordinate activities.  The Governor says those without power can call their local 211 numbers for information on where to turn for help.