BROOK PARK, Ohio — Over the weekend, Gov. Mike DeWine issued a State of Emergency, and many residents are asking what this means for their recovery.
Almost a week after Tuesday’s five tornadoes, the impact is still clear. Angela Craider lives in Brook Park, where, in addition to the damage, they had no power for days.
“I couldn't even begin to guess how much, how many thousands of dollars, this has to be. I don't know,” Angela said.
And now she doesn't know what they'll do next.
“It's a little, it's a little scary and, you know, unknown, not knowing,” said Angela.
In Brook Park, the storm tore through the city, ripping off roofs, uprooting trees and taking down power lines; a week later, the debris is still scattered across the area.
“We have a lot of our public right of ways are still blocked, sidewalks, trees are down, debris everywhere,” said Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt
With Gov. Mike DeWine declaring a state of emergency, Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt says they'll finally get some relief.
“It's excellent. It's something that we were calling for immediately,” said Orcutt.
But many residents have no idea what that means for them. When a state of emergency is declared, the state provides expedited resources and support for the communities affected.
“We have ODOT showing up today with trucks and equipment to help us with the cleanup,” said Orcutt.
On-the-ground that looks like trucks helping remove debris, replenished social services like snap benefits or financial assistance with damages.
For Cuyahoga County to declare a state of emergency the damages must total $5.9 million, which the county surpassed. Officials are still learning what resources they will be receiving and the funding to come, but residents want to see a few things including providing more food and financial aid.
For Angela, though she's okay and got her power back she wants her community to get the assistance it needs.
“Just support for the rest of the, you know, the rest of the community, there are still people without power,” said Angela.
City officials say the timeline is unclear, but once they get more information on resources, they will provide that info through city and state websites.
The state of emergency is for the following eight counties:
- Ashtabula
- Cuyahoga
- Geauga
- Lake
- Lorain
- Portage
- Summit
- Trumbull
"This declaration of a state of emergency will give the state the ability to give these communities expedited assistance. At the moment, we have no outstanding requests for services the State can provide to our local communities to help in the aftermath of these storms," DeWine said. "However, we are in this for the duration and will continue to help local communities in Northeast Ohio as they recover from the damage left by the storm, should we receive any new request for services the State is able to provide."
