Debris could be seen on the side of I-75 north of downtown Dayton.
(Ohio Dept of Transportation)
Authorities in Ohio said a rapid-fire line of apparent tornadoes late Monday resulted in widespread damage, including more than 70,000 power outages across the state, affecting over 5 million people.
At least half a dozen communities from eastern Indiana through central Ohio suffered damage, according to the National Weather Service, though authorities working through the night had reported no fatalities as of early Tuesday.
National Weather Service confirmed Monday night that a “large and dangerous tornado” hit near Trotwood, Ohio, outside of Dayton. The service tweeted that the situation was extremely dangerous and for residents in northern Montgomery County to take cover.
Just before midnight, not 40 minutes after that tornado cut through, the weather service tweeted that another one was traversing its path, churning up debris densely enough to be seen on radar.
The aftermath left some lanes of Interstate 75 blocked north of Dayton. Trucks with plows were scraping tree branches and rubble to the side to get the major north-south route reopened, according to Matt Bruning, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Trying to clear the debris in the middle of the night is a difficult task, complicated by darkness and downed power lines, Bruning said.
“We’ll do a more thorough cleaning after we get lanes opened,” he told The Associated Press by text early Tuesday, noting that tow trucks would have to haul off damaged vehicles along the roadway, too.
On its Twitter account the Ohio Department of Transportation tweeted photos of crews using snow plows to clean up debris on I-75 north of downtown Dayton.
Another suspected tornado near Vandalia, Ohio, was crossing the path of the first tornado, lifting debris in the air, the service said.
Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning said its crews are using several plows to scrape debris off to the side of southbound Interstate 75, trying to get the highway reopened as soon as possible.
“We’ll do a more thorough cleaning after we get lanes opened,” he told the Associated Press via text early Monday.
He said tow trucks eventually will have to deal with damaged vehicles along the roadway, too. He said other crews are also clearing debris northwest of Dayton in Mercer and Darke counties. Trying to clear the debris in the middle of the night is a difficult task, complicated by darkness and downed power lines, Bruning said.
Trotwood is about 8 miles northwest of Dayton.
The Associated Press contributed to this report