Severe weather hammers Greenup Co.
Severe weather — including high winds, heavy rain and some hail — wreaked havoc on areas of Greenup County and Lawrence County, Ohio, on Wednesday afternoon.
Heavy winds brought down power lines and uprooted trees, causing substantial damage to some vehicles and several structures.
In Ironton, citizens reported weather blasted out windows at Harmon Motors, spraying glass along part of 3rd Street.
First-responders dealt with traffic issues along U.S. 23 around 2 p.m., calling the situation a “disaster” at the time — including major flooding at the bottom of Wheeler Hill, where Argillite Road meets U.S. 23.
Lawrence County, Ohio, AEP customers reported more than 8,000 power outages on Wednesday afternoon.
As of 6 p.m., there were nearly 3,000 customer power outages in the Raceland/Worthington area, according to Kentucky Power. In Flatwoods, there were almost 1,000 outages. In the Wurtland community, outages numbered fewer than 75.
Russell residents reported on social media photographs of flooded streets.
The City of Raceland posted on its Facebook page to “avoid driving throughout the city at this time,” around 3 p.m. Mayor Tony Wilson declared a state of emergency. Debris covered various segments of roadways, creating hazards throughout.
City Administrator Dustin Burchett reported Bellefonte Road by Pony Farm Road, Hilsdale Avenue by Robinson Road and Caroline Road by Greenup Avenue were all shut down at various times throughout the afternoon and evening.
Garth Wireman, Greenup County’s emergency management director, said crews were working diligently to create safe conditions for everyone.
He said they will conduct damage assessments. If Greenup County residents have damages to their houses, they can call the Emergency Management office at (606) 473-5644. Leave a message with information, and he said they will do an assessment.
