Ohio governor declares emergency in county hit by storm with 110 mph winds

By Associated Press

7:17 PM EDT, July 23, 2008

JUNCTION CITY, Ohio (AP) _ Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has declared a state of emergency in the county hit by a storm with winds of up to 110 mph.

The storm in Perry County in east-central Ohio damaged buildings and uprooted trees and power lines early Tuesday.

Strickland's declaration means the Ohio Department of Transportation can help local authorities remove debris from roads.

The National Weather Service says the storm was caused by fierce straight-line winds, not a tornado. No injuries were reported.

American Electric Power reported that 1,900 of its Perry County customers still had no power Wednesday afternoon. That's down from 25,000 without power at 10 a.m. Tuesday.