Ashtabula County residents clean up after wind storm

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A short but powerful storm that moved through Ashtabula County on Saturday left behind some damage for residents and road crews to clean up.

Wind gusts up to 72 mph caused damage around Ashtabula County, according to Ron Coursen, a local weather observer.

“There are areas that still do not have power and restoration continues,” he said. “We will continue to assess today for any other damage and crews will be out cleaning up what we can.”

In North Park in Ashtabula, a large tree sustained damage and City Manager Jim Timonere said he expects that the entire tree will need to be cut down.

Another fallen tree crushed a vehicle parked on West Prospect Road near Becker’s Restaurant, he said.

In Jefferson, two large pine trees toppled over during the storm.

The combination of wind, rain and hail snapped flagpoles in Jefferson Township and flipped a chicken coop in Plymouth Township.

Downed tree limbs blocked Morgan Road, Route 46 and Route 45 for a short while after the storm passed through the area. Local law enforcement re-routed traffic.

Contractors and private landowners could be seen clearing downed trees at many locations in Ashtabula County and throughout the area. Power outages were still in effect late into the afternoon on Monday.

The First Energy Power Outage website indicated there were dozens of properties without power in locations spread throughout Ashtabula County and eastern Lake County, including high concentrations in Ashtabula, Conneaut and Madison.

Many departments indicated they had 6 to 10 weather related calls on Saturday and Sunday. The Andover Fire Department also battled several fires on Saturday that destroyed a garage in Cherry Valley and a garage in Andover, said Andover Fire Chief Allen Semai.

Conneaut City Manager Jim Hockaday said about half of the city was without power at one point. “They’re still working in certain sections to restore power,” he said.

He praised city employees, including first responders who cordoned off downed wires, and water and sewer crews who worked to keep those services running.

“It just seems like this is becoming a more common occurrence, where we’re having these more devastating, damaging storms, several times a year now,” Hockaday said.