Multiple roads across Clermont County remain blocked by fallen trees and downed utility poles as of Aug. 14, forcing detours for Loveland, Milford and Symmes Township commuters. Duke Energy crews must remove trees tangled in power lines before many roads can reopen and before electricity can be restored to surrounding homes.
The county said in a Facebook update reported by the Clermont Guardian that storm cleanup has stretched into a third day. County photos showed large trees sprawled across pavement with splintered poles leaning into branches and lines overhead.
As of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, the Clermont County government listed 10 county-maintained roads still closed: Monterey Road, Newtonsville Hutchison, Brushy Fork, Herold Road at 2519, 12 Mile at 1705, Frank Willis Memorial, Wards Corner at 576, Woodville Pike at Peggy, 3589 Bootjack Road and Cook at 6057. Some may have reopened overnight; residents should check the Clermont County Engineer's Facebook page (@ClermontEngineer) for the latest status.
Local closures
Closer to home, two sections of Garfield Avenue in Milford were closed Aug. 12, after trees fell on electrical wires. The closures stretch from High Street to the Mill Street intersection and from Apple Street to Choctaw Trail. The city has not confirmed whether those sections have reopened.
McMann Road near 4032 McMann Rd. in the Loveland area was also closed Aug. 11 due to low-hanging wires across the roadway, as we reported Aug. 12. No reopening has been confirmed.
Power restoration progress
About 13,000 Clermont County homes and businesses remained without power Thursday afternoon, down from a peak of roughly 40,000 when the storms hit Tuesday, Aug. 11. Duke Energy was targeting midnight Thursday for most restorations, though some isolated areas could stay dark longer.
Across the broader region, more than 49,000 Duke Energy customers were still without power as of 9 a.m. Thursday, according to Fox 19. Duke Energy deployed more than 1,000 additional lineworkers, tree trimmers and support personnel from outside Ohio and Kentucky to assist with restoration.
"This was the highest count of outages and dispersion of damage I've seen across this region in my time at Duke," spokesman John Juech said Wednesday, Aug. 12, as reported by Yahoo News. The storms also damaged at least 18 buildings across the county, according to Kris McClintick, who oversees the county's Building Inspections and Permits Division.
Safety reminders
The Milford Community Fire Department warned Aug. 11 that downed lines can remain live even when they show no visible signs of being energized. Duke Energy recommends anyone who encounters a downed line stay at least 30 feet away and treat all lines, trees, limbs or fences in contact with them as dangerous.
Residents can report outages or check restoration status at duke-energy.com/outages, by texting OUT to 57801 or by calling 800-543-5599.
