Disaster declared after storms

CINCINNATI (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of Ohio residents faced a heat wave without power Saturday in the aftermath of severe storms that struck with powerful, damaging winds that one utility compared to the remnants of Hurricane Ike in 2008, prompting Gov. John Kasich to declare a state of emergency.

One woman was killed in eastern Ohio, and there were reports of other injuries and damage across the state.

The mayor in the hard-hit capital of Columbus ordered air-conditioned "cooling centers" opened, and people were scrambling to find generators and ice for relief from the heat and to preserve food that some had just stocked up on for Fourth of July holiday celebrations.

Kasich said widespread outages across two-thirds of the state and damage could cause power restoration to take up to a week amid severe heat with 100-degree temperatures expected in some areas Saturday. He said that could mean "crisis situations" for children, the elderly and people with medical conditions.

"I'm very concerned with the problems created by the combination of power outages and severe heat, and so I've declared an emergency for all of Ohio so that state resources and personnel can help local governments meet the needs and challenges they face," Kasich said in a statement. He authorized state agencies to do whatever's necessary to help local authorities around the state.

"Together, we'll get through this," Kasich said, urging Ohioans to check on neighbors and "look out for those who they know might need some extra help."

The White House said a Federal Emergency Management Agency official was deployed to Ohio's emergency operations center at the state's request. Kasich said the state would seek federal emergency aid if it's needed.

State emergency officials said 800,000 to 1 million people still had power outages as of Saturday morning. State emergency workers, the American Red Cross and volunteers were monitoring needs and recovery efforts.

Utility workers from Louisiana and Oklahoma were dispatched to help Ohio recovery efforts, state officials said.

American Electric Power reported 500,000 of its customers across Ohio, including much of Columbus, and into West Virginia were without power Saturday morning. AEP said damaged poles and distribution circuits will slow restoration for days. It said damaging winds rivaled those of Hurricane Ike's remnants in 2008, topping 75 mph, and Friday's was the "worst storm" since Ike.

That storm caused more than $1 billion in damage across Ohio and is considered the state's costliest natural disaster. Some 2.6 million Ohio customer lost power during that Sept. 14, 2008, storm, and some still were without power a week afterward.

State emergency officials were still assessing damages and injury reports Saturday.

One death had been confirmed so far. Muskingum County sheriff's deputies say a woman was killed Friday night inside a barn hit by high winds.

The Zanesville Time-Recorder reported that the 70-year-old woman and her husband had gone to the barn to check on their animals, and that the barn collapsed when hit by the storm. The woman's name wasn't immediately released, and no other information was available on her husband's condition, other than he was injured.

The storms hit much of the state during Friday evening rush hour, caused multiple accidents and left several motorists trapped in their vehicles by downed power lines. Winds blew toppled three tractor-trailers off Interstate 75 near Findlay, in northwest Ohio, but no injuries were reported.

In Columbus, Mayor Michael Coleman said two air-conditioned recreation centers would be open Saturday and Sunday afternoons for residents to cool off. He also warned people to stay away from downed power lines and to treat inoperative traffic lights as four-way stops.

The Athens Messenger newspaper in southeast Ohio invited people to come to its offices to enjoy its air conditioning Saturday.

In the Columbus suburb of Dublin, Lori Schaffert said her household borrowed a generator from "a very dear friend," and was alternating it between refrigerator and freezer while using flashlights and battery-operated lanterns for light. Her 5-year-old daughter and a neighbor friend played board games and helped her make pickles from their garden's cucumbers.

"You come to appreciate the simple life a little more in these times," Schaffert said.

Kasey Beckham, of the Ohio River city of Ashland, Ky., had gone grocery shopping Friday night and loaded her deep freeze and refrigerator with meat for her family of four. She used what ice she had to preserve it for as long as possible, but was inviting friends and neighbors to come feast on hamburger patties, pork tenderloins and more.

"We're going to have a big cookout!" she said.