Rebuild timeline could take ‘years’ after EF2 tornado hit Clark County, EMA director says

CLARK COUNTY — New video from News Center 7′s Sky 7 gave a new perspective on the damage from the tornado that hit Clark County on Wednesday, as the county’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) spoke about the storms on Thursday.

One of the areas hit was Tim Thomas’ neighborhood.

>> RELATED: NWS confirms at least 5 tornadoes in Ohio during Wednesday storms

“The damage overall is pretty extreme,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he and his family were asleep as the storm approached.

“All of our cellphones went off and so we got up, turned on Channel 7, and saw what was heading our direction and immediately took cover in the hallway,” Thomas recalled.

On Thursday, Clark County’s EMA director, Michelle Clements-Pitstick said three people suffering minor injuries after the EF2 tornado spun for nearly 19 miles is a testament to warning systems in place.

>> RELATED: ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do;’ Man finds porch, garage gone after tornado rips through

“(There were) multiple ways to receive warnings, whether it was through the NOAA Weather Radio system, whether it was a FEMA app or WHIO’s app,” Clements-Pitstick said.

The county EMA said, in some cases, rebuild timelines from this tornado could be measured in years.

“It could be a couple of years to fully rebuild. It is different for everybody,” Clements-Pitstick said.

©2024 Cox Media Group