Governor declares state of emergency in 63 counties, including Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in 63 counties – including Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties – where severe weather caused serious damage last month.

The 63 counties covered by Monday’s emergency declaration had damage to roads and/or bridges from significant weather events in June that began with mild temperatures and significant rains that thoroughly saturated the ground causing dangerous roadway damage. Some roadways still have lane restrictions or are closed completely.

The Mahoning Valley had 8.15 inches of rain last month, making it the fourth-wettest June on record for the area, according to the National Weather Service. The average June rainfall for the Mahoning Valley is 3.88 inches.

Official weather data for the area is tracked at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna. There were parts of the Valley that received 10 to 12 inches of rain last month.

“Continued heavy rains on top of the saturated ground and flash flooding caused significant damage to roads all over the state,” DeWine said. “This emergency proclamation will allow the Ohio Department of Transportation and local governments to access federal emergency relief funds that are needed to help fix road damage caused by these weather events.”

Other counties included in Monday’s proclamation are: Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Clermont, Clinton, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Lorain, Madison, Marion, Medina, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Warren, Washington and Wayne.