Storms packing significant winds and rains rolled through the city of Bellefontaine during the early hours of Tuesday morning, causing moderate and widespread damage.
The city is aware of numerous limbs and debris down throughout the area. The Bellefontaine Police Department began receiving reports of damage around midnight, and crews from various city departments responded at that time to begin clearing streets.
That work continues Tuesday. While most streets are open, there are a few isolated areas that remain closed due to the fallen trees being in power lines.
City crews will address these locations as soon as they are deemed safe by the electric companies.
The priority of city crews will be to remove and cleanup debris that is interfering with public travel.
According to AES, several thousand customers in the Bellefontaine area continue to be without power Tuesday morning. They have multiple crews in the city working to restore service to those customers at this time.
As residents begin to assess and clean up their properties, they should be mindful of the following:
• Be on the look out for downed wires. Any trees that are in branches or wires should be reported to your electric provider. Residents should never attempt to clear debris from down wires. AES Customer Service can be reached at (800) 433-8500. Power outages can be reported at (877) 468-8243. You can also report power outages and check on outage status at https://www.aes-ohio.com/outages.
• Residents can dispose of yard waste at one of the city’s two compost sites, 313 W. Columbus Ave., or next to the Waste Water Treatment Plant at 610 S. Troy Road. If you transport small debris in trash bags to the facilities, empty the debris from the bags and properly dispose of the bag through other means.
• Residents are asked and encouraged to clean up and dispose of as much small debris as possible on their own. For branches and limbs that are too large for residents to transport on their own, they can be placed at the curb to be picked up by the city. Residents who place limbs at the curb should call the mayor’s office at (937) 592-4376 to be placed on a list for pickup. The city anticipates having crews available to begin collecting debris late this week and through next week. Residents are encouraged to help one another as cleanup continues.
• In addition to large limbs and trees down, there are large amounts of smaller debris in streets. Residents can do their part to help by clearing this debris from in front of their homes, particularly any catch basins and curb areas. Clearing catch basins and curbs will be important in advance of more rain later in the week to alleviate any potential water problems.
“Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to clean up and recover from this storm,” city officials said. “If you have any additional questions or concerns that have not been addressed, please contact the Service-Safety Director’s Office at (937) 592-6807.”
