‘Power lines, trees, a lot of farms;’ Damage reported after storms move through Auglaize county

AUGLAIZE COUNTY — Cleanup is underway in Auglaize County after severe storms moved through Thursday night.

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News Center 7 will have LIVE team Storm Center 7 weather coverage bringing you to areas cleaning up and assessing the damage from Thursday’s storms. Coverage continues with News Center 7 at 5:00.

As News Center 7 previously reported several roads were closed in Auglaize County due to debris, according to ODOT.

U.S. 33 closed between 1.5-2-mile marker
State Route 116 closed north of Saint Mary’s
State Route 66 closed north of Saint Mary’s
State Route 720 between State Route 65 and the village of Santa Fe

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News Center 7′s Malik Patterson was in Wapakoneta on Thursday at the 11000 block of Wapak-Freyburg Road.

He said a camper turned over at the entrance of the Glacier Hill Lakes Campground.

People he spoke with said they were lucky to be alive on Thursday.

“It blows my mind because the three campers next to me were destroyed,” said Chris Landis. “So, how mine managed to stay, I’m not sure. I must’ve been right on the edge of that tornado.”

There were also a lot of people’s belongings spread out across the campground.

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Patterson also talked to Troy Anderson, Auglaize County incident commander.

He said they went into full search and rescue to make sure everyone was not, and no one was trapped inside the camper.

“Doing unseen searches and rescues at that time,” he explained. “Majority of the stuff is all campers, wrapped around trees, and stuff inside there.”

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Anderson told Patterson said he knew at least one man was ejected out of the camper but could not confirm any other injuries.

He said the storms did a lot of damage.

“I know there’s a bunch of power lines, trees, a lot of farms,” said Anderson. “This is a farming community. I did see grain silos, concrete gear, and grain silos completely wiped out. So, hopefully, we can get some assessments and get some assistance.”

He said that he will have teams out during the day on Friday, doing drum flyovers to get an assessment of the damage in Auglaize County.

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The Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce posted a statement on social media Thursday night about the storms.

“As we navigate through the aftermath of (Thursday’s) tornado storms, our hearts are with each and every person affected. We are ready to help assist those in need in connecting with local resources and support. The strength and unity of our community have always been our greatest asset, especially in challenging times.”

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Auglaize County just after 7 p.m. Thursday night.

Storm damage reports are continuing to come in from across the region.

We will continue to update this story.

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