MINSTER, Ohio (WLIO) - Mercer and Auglaize County residents are picking up the pieces after severe weather impacted the region Thursday evening.
In Minster, State Route 119 East of Paris Street was closed to through traffic. Electric crews were installing new power poles as the tornado warned storm from last night knocked over and snapped multiple poles and wires.
In Minster, State Route 119 East of Paris Street was closed to through traffic.
Heading northwest to areas just east of Maria Stein and Chickasaw along the Mercer and Auglaize County line, several properties suffered damage including one outbuilding being destroyed near State Routes 119 and 364 and multiple barn roofs ripped off along Auglaize Mercer County Line Road. Auglaize County EMA director Troy Anderson says this type of damage was quite common throughout the area.
"The damages that we're seeing is a lot of utility poles, power lines that are down - [crews are] working, AES and those guys are in trying to get the poles out," said Anderson. "They're saying it could be a couple days before they're done, but it does look like they're making some headway on it. Parts of the county had, at least in this area, barns down or roofs on homes that have been impacted. But the largest portion of the damage that I'm seeing is actually agricultural; the outbuildings, the barns, hog barns, stuff like that."
Several properties suffered damage including one outbuilding being destroyed near State Routes 119 and 364.
Anderson is also monitoring the St Marys River, along with creeks and streams. Over two inches of rain fell in the New Bremen and Minster area, which has resulted in some swelling of waterways, and may cause some water rises in downstream areas.
