FINDLAY, OH (TOLEDO NEWS NOW) - Findlay leaders say a test of its outdoor warning sirens following the storm on Friday found that four sirens failed.
This is a story we're following with our media partner The Findlay Courier. City leaders are already working to get the sirens fixed.
Read more about the storm clean-up from the Courier:
Findlay assesses damage, begins tree limb pickup.
By Joy Brown
Staff Writer
Half a million dollars, to start with, is the amount Findlay administrators will ask City Council to allocate tonight for storm cleanup.
Mayor Lydia Mihalik on Monday said the money will come from the general fund's $4.7 million unappropriated balance.
The city hopes to receive federal and state reimbursement, but is still conducting damage assessments to determine if it is eligible for aid.
By Monday afternoon, a storm damage assessment team dispatched to the hardest-hit areas of Findlay had identified 464 structures that were "affected" by Friday's storm. The team found one destroyed structure, 15 with "major damage," and 43 with "minor damage."
Assessors, comprised of employees from Findlay's Zoning Department and Hancock Regional Planning Commission, are expected to drive through spots to the north and east sides of the city.
Some streets and alleys remained closed Monday night. City properties such as Firestine and Mound parks, Rawson Park and Maple Grove Cemetery had several trees fall. Crews were busy removing trees from Eagle Creek along Firestine Park on Monday so the creek's flow isn't impeded should there be a flood, and removing branches that had knocked down gravestones at the cemetery.
Most city parks remained open, but Riverside Pool was closed through the weekend and on Monday because there was no power in that neighborhood. Officials on Monday were assessing the filtration and pumping systems to make sure they weren't damaged by the sudden Friday shutoff, and hope to reopen the pool today, said Jeremy Horne, Findlay communication director.
Assisting Findlay street crews are workers from the Ohio Department of Transportation, 75 Fostoria city employees and some from Fremont.
Crews on Monday began to make what is planned to be one sweep through the city to pick up downed limbs. Horne said pickups will be prioritized like plowing, with the most traveled streets addressed first. Any curbside debris piles not consisting of vegetation, such as gutters or shingles, won't be picked up, Horne said.
Findlay Service-Safety Director Paul Schmelzer said trees growing in city rights-of-way that fell on private property must be attended to by private contractors or residents. Those that fell on utility lines are the responsibility of utility companies to clean up, he said.
Schmelzer said AEP repair crews, as they arrive at residences and business with generators, are asking people to turn those generators off so that crews can work on nearby lines.
Lee Swisher, Hancock County Emergency Management Agency director, urged those with generators to operate them outside and to be cautious of utility lines still sagging and on the ground.
City officials continue to use the emergency call system to update residents about power restoration and other cleanup news.
Hancock County government took a hit from the storm: Engineer's office buildings southwest of the city were heavily damaged, said Engineer Steve Wilson. A brick building was destroyed, and the tent-like cover was torn off the salt barn.
Dave Thomas, operations manager at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, said the large steer barn that collapsed is insured, but organizers aren't sure if, when and where they'll rebuild it. The barn is only used about six days out of the year during the fair, Thomas said.
Volunteers were still cleaning debris from the fairgrounds on Monday.
The Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce is urging its members to hire local contractors for storm cleanup work. The chamber has a searchable online directory and a mobile app listing members. The list is available online at: http://web.findlayhancockalliance.com/search.
The chamber sent a newsletter via email to its members on Monday, cautioning them to check references and a contractor's status with the Better Business Bureau, which can also be done online at http://toledo.bbb.org.
Copyright 2012 The Courier, a media partner of Toledo News Now.
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