Staff photo / Dan Pompili Homes along Tippecanoe Road near Shields Road and Sperone Court in Canfield Township were close to the path of an EF-1 tornado that touched down Sunday afternoon. Township trustees declared an emergency on Monday, as did Mahoning County Commissioners and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

CANFIELD TOWNSHIP — Sunday’s storms led to multiple government entities declaring states of emergency on Monday, but what that means at the township, county and state levels is different, officials said.

After touring the county and viewing the damage, Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday declared a state of emergency for Mahoning County, which will make it possible for the county and local communities to receive state aid for cleanup and repairs. It also was the first step in possibly securing federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Mahoning County commissioners did the same, with state and federal lawmakers in attendance. U.S. Rep. Mike Rulli, R-Salem, said he and U.S. Rep Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, said they intend to pressure the White House to approve FEMA aid.

Canfield Township trustees also met in special session Monday to declare a state of emergency.

Canfield and northwestern Boardman were ground zero for an EF-1 tornado, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland. Township Trustee Joe Paloski said the declaration gives the township the ability to move swiftly to clean up the community.

“We want to make sure we can spend money in the township when we need to,” he said. “It bypasses the bidding process, and we need to hire a tree company to clear limbs and brush from people’s homes.”

Paloski said the township has only four full-time public works employees and is contending with widespread damage. The township is able to spend up to $75,000 now to work on the problem.

Freddie Zeigler, an NWS meteorologist, explained conditions for a tornado on Sunday were not exactly perfect, but the odds were not zero either.

“We had very moisture-laden conditions. It was a low-pressure system we were tracking, heading east,” he said. “But winds were moving more west as you got higher in the atmosphere. So, with a lot of showers that day, it means we were going to have rotation. But that was the only cell. There was a pretty low threat of tornadic activity. We mostly expected a lot of rain.”

The problematic weather system hit the area about 1:56 p.m. The tornado touched down at 2:03 p.m. and was only on the ground until 2:04 p.m. The EF1 twister reached a maximum speed of about 95 mph. It traveled a southeasterly path for about .58 miles. The tornado was about 300 yards wide. It touched down near Mellinger Road, where it chopped off tree tops, shredded them and threw them onto residents’ homes, before heading southeast across U.S. Route 62.

Zeigler said that in addition to weather data, their assessment team looks for multiple tell-tale signs that a tornado landed.

“When we look for a tornado, we look for tree damage in a cross pattern across a narrow path, trees that have fallen over each other. We’re also looking for debris that’s impaled into the ground,” he said. “It’s going to really just tear everything up and look like it’s been in a blender. If it’s straight-line winds, it blows everything in one direction.”

And there were straightline winds. In fact, those caused more damage across the county than the tornado did.

The macroburst reached windspeeds of about 90 mph. Zeigler said it spanned 10.25 miles, and a width of 3.3 miles. The macroburst is what led to heavy wind damage, extreme rains, hail and flooding.

Zeigler said the storm was a byproduct of the weather conditions that broke last week’s heat wave.

“We were anticipating a round of storms into the weekend, and every so often there’s a tornado there,” he said. “We are expecting high temperatures again next week and when that breaks, it also could lead to severe weather.”

DEALING WITH THE DAMAGE

Paloski said the Cardinal Joint Fire District has confirmed 36 homes in the township sustained heavy damage. The Canfield Police Department, Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Red Cross and Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency drove through the affected corridor on Tuesday, as well as parts of Austintown and Boardman, to assess damage.

Residents along Shields Road, Messerly Road and Tippecanoe Road, from Cornersburg to U.S. Route 224 were still without power Tuesday afternoon. Paloski said FirstEnergy crews installed new poles, with as many as 10 trucks along Tippecanoe Road.

Parts of Shields, Messerly and Tippecanoe roads, along with Lockwood Boulevard in Boardman, remained closed Tuesday, Paloski said.

He said Portage County EMA is also helping Mahoning County and local communities with damage assessments, to expedite the process of submitting a request for aid from Columbus.

It is still unclear exactly what DeWine’s declaration means for Canfield and other communities in Mahoning County.

“What an emergency declaration does is it gets things in place that might help on a federal level. The numbers are going to be the controlling part. When the local emergency management folks send them in, that’s the most important thing, but having a governor make a declaration does send a signal that this is serious,” DeWine said during his visit Monday.

The governor indicated that the Ohio Department of Transportation will remain in the county to help, and other state agencies may be deployed to provide assistance.

Paloski said EMA officials from both counties urge residents to contact their insurance companies first. But anyone who needs help with matters not covered by insurance can reach the township at 330-533-4239.

He said they will be contracting with a tree company to assist the township workers with cleanup. Limbs no larger than 8 inches in diameter can be placed at the curb, but must be no more than 10 inches away from the curb edge. Dates for pickup will be posted once the township has hired a company.