County Facilitating Storm Cleanup
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, Jun. 22, 2022 — The Wayne County Commissioners recently declared a county-wide state of emergency in response to damages sustained by intense storms that passed through the area.
The declaration aims to highlight the devastation to the community to various local and state agencies that county officials have engaged. Currently, damage thresholds that would provide funding to private landowners or businesses from state or federal resources have not been met.
The magnitude of the storm caused excessive damage, and the priority is clearing roadways, easements, and rights-of-way so public utility companies can access their equipment to ensure services can be restored as quickly as possible. Crews are working around-the-clock clearing debris from the areas affected and will continue to do so.
Homeowners should verify with their insurance company before beginning the cleanup process of their private property.
To facilitate the cleanup effort, the Wayne County Commissioners sought alternative efforts to help residents that sustained storm damage and have coordinated with chainsaw teams from the Ohio Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization. They are preparing to help with the cleanup effort in Wayne County beginning as soon as Saturday, June 24.
John Heading, a spokesperson for the group, explained that chainsaw teams would visit a property that sustained damage from the recent storms, prioritize needs, cut the trees into firewood size, and place the wood at a location on the property designated by the landowner. Crews will not remove debris from the property. The disaster relief team requires the property address and owner’s telephone phone number to obtain permission to enter the location.
Report any loss or hardship to the United Way’s WHIRE (Wayne Holmes Information Referral Exchange) service at (330)263-6363. They will take your information and refer it to the Ohio Southern Baptist Relief Organization for debris removal. Other programs are available through the United Way’s WHIRE service.
Please do not call the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency. Due to scams, please be cautious about anyone offering tree removal services or other services related to the storm damage that you have not contacted.
