MiddletownJournal.com

Warren County has "started to wind down and get back normal" after Sunday's windstorm that caused power failures and damage across the county, Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Young said Saturday, Sept. 20.

Emergency assistance for food and water is still being offered, but Young said that will taper off as more people get power back during the next 24 to 48 hours.

Duke reported 6,853 customers in Warren County without power on Saturday. As many as 1,000 DP&L customers also were without power in the county.

Most Duke customers are expected to have electricity restored by today, Young said.

Warren County residents rose to the challenges presented by the Sept. 14 storm that brought the remnants of Hurricane Ike and winds as high as 74 mph to the county, Young said.

"We have had very few calls to 911 where people have called to ratchet things up and complain. I know that hasn't been the case in other counties in the area, so this is a credit to our county," Young said.

As director of the Emergency Management Agency in Lebanon, Young coordinates all disaster services with local police and fire departments and utility companies, including Duke Energy, which provides electricity to most homes and businesses in Warren County.

Young credited Warren County residents for working together to clean up storm debris, as well as offer food, shelter and other support to their neighbors.

"I know that many of the people who came in to work for me were out of power for most of the week," Young said. "But they managed to get into work anyway. That has happened a lot around our area."

Young has been in contact with Duke Energy at least twice a day, every day since the storm hit. He said that he understands people's frustration about not having power back on sooner and on Friday publicly criticized DP&L, electricity provider for 3 percent to 5 percent of Warren County residents in Clearcreek Twp. and the Waynesville area, for not providing information about when the power would be back.

"I think a lot of people just don't understand how complex it is to get an entire electrical grid back up and running. It might seem like just hanging a few wires, but it's so much more. The power these Duke crews are dealing with is phenomenal."

"Duke has been very responsive and responsible," Young said Saturday. "They set up contact numbers for emergency agencies to call if we know of special needs people that need to be serviced. Given the circumstances, I think Duke has done a great job."

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.