According to media company News5Cleveland, the following districts are affected by the state of emergency:
- Ashtabula
- Cuyahoga
- Geauga
- lake
- Lorraine
- Portage
- summit
- Trumbull
Governor DeWine said: “The declaration of a state of emergency gives the state the opportunity to provide rapid assistance to these communities. At this time, we have no outstanding requests for services that the state is providing to our local communities to help after these storms.”
“However, we will remain on the ground for the duration of the crisis and will continue to help Northeast Ohio communities recover from the damage left by the storm should we receive new requests for services that the state can provide,” DeWine added.
In addition, DeWine said he had asked the state to Emergency management Director to invite the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to visit the affected area and Damage assessment.
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne had urged Governor DeWine to emphasize the need for additional resources and funding, which justifies waiving the thresholds. To be eligible for aid, a county must raise $5.9 million in relief costs.
DeWine issued a proclamation on Friday asking for assistance, saying: “All departments and agencies of the state shall stand by and utilize their personnel and resources as needed to protect the lives, safety, health and property of Ohioans and to assist in recovery efforts in communities affected by this severe weather, if needed and requested by local authorities.”
He said that the Ohio Department of Health has responded to requests for mobile oxygen generators in Northeast Ohio. The state has provided these generators to help the affected areas.
The governor said various state agencies are closely monitoring the situation in Northeast Ohio, with county emergency management agencies (EMA) working with local communities to assess the damage and determine potential reimbursement options.
According to News5Cleveland, DeWine said county EMAs would then forward their requests for assistance to the respective state’s EMA.
“I encourage local authorities in need of assistance to contact their county disaster management authorities,” he added.
