Prayers needed for Athens County!

[Orange and Brown]

..and surrounding areas.

A Tornado has ripped through The Plains and has caused a lot of damage. It has ripped through East state street in the city of Athens. Tornados have caused Damage in parts of Perry vounty.

The Athens Messenger was hit hard. Athens High School has taken some damage.

[Orange and Brown]

A big Thank you to Alexander Schools for sheltering the Nelsonville-York 8th grade football team on there way back from Jackson...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

[ironman02]

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.

[Burg_Grad_77]

I watched this storm off in the distance from here at work as it went through. I could just see the tops of the Thunderhead and see the lightning inside it. Sorry to hear of all the damage, injuries, and deaths. Very unusual to have a Tornado this late in the year.

[orange-n-brown 365]

haven't heard of any deaths just 3 injured 15 homes lost in Nelsonville
The plains has a lot of damage there also thoughts and prayers to everyone I was spared tonight I traveled though that area with my youngest and grandson in the plains area about 15 to 20 min before it hit and also family members had it pass over their home and was spared.. Thank God!

[Burg_Grad_77]

The 1st post says 6 confirmed deaths. Hopefully that is wrong.

[orange-n-brown 365]

http://www.wsaz.com/


UPDATE 9:55 p.m.
Athens County, OH (WSAZ and the Associated Press) -- Authorities in a tiny south central Ohio community say there are numerous injuries after what multiple witnesses described as a funnel cloud damaged homes and trailers.

Emergency personnel have gathered at a command center at Athens High School in The Plains, a community just outside of Athens, where the storm interrupted a girls soccer game and forced players to scramble to safety inside the school.

Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly tells WOUB-FM radio that dozens of emergency personnel are going house to house, searching for people who may be trapped. Power is out, there is a smell of gas, and Kelly says there are numerous injuries.

Kelly told the station there were at least four reports of a funnel cloud from witnesses in The Plains, Nelsonville and the Athens area

[orange-n-brown 365]

The 1st post says 6 confirmed deaths. Hopefully that is wrong.

I have ONN on nothing said on there...

[orange-n-brown 365]

http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/main.asp?S ... leID=32249
Breaking: State of emergency declared after unconfirmed tornado rips through Athens County
9/16/2010 8:18:00 PM Email this article • Print this article

Alex Stuckey • City Editor • as218907@ohiou.edu

A state of emergency was declared for Athens County after thunderstorms and an unconfirmed tornado ripped through Athens tonight, sending seven people to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital and doing significant damage to area buildings and homes.

In an emergency Athens County Board of Commissioners meeting at 10 p.m. tonight, Commissioners Lenny Eliason and Mark Sullivan called to action all personnel and units in the county designated to protect life, property, health and safety of citizens in the affected area, according to an Athens County Commissioners news release.

Commissioners also called upon the public to provide reasonable assistance and cooperation in the efforts, according to the release.

"It's bad," Eliason said.

Shelter is being provided at Ohio University's Weld House, 128 S. Green Dr., for victims of the tornado.

The unconfirmed tornado touched down in The Plains at about 7 p.m., overturning several trailers and causing a gas leak in Pine-Air Village Trailer Park, according to an Athens County Emergency Communications news release.

Athens County High School's Basil Rutter suffered serious damage at the hands of the storm and 40 students had to be sheltered.

Damages in Eclipse are being assessed and the city is providing busing to Weld House for storm victims.

Autotech Service Center, 2079 E. State St., was completely leveled by the storm, although no injuries were reported.

Power is still out along East State Street.

Fifteen Nelsonville homes were destroyed and three people were transported to medical facilities.

Six roads in York Township, Matheny Road, State Route 691, County Road 4, Spice Lick Road, Kimberly Road and Carbondale Road, were closed because of debris blocking traffic.

[Cameroncrazie]

Just watched this on WSAZ. Prayers to all communities affected by this terrible event. I guess that ONN forgets that SE Ohio does not belong to West Virginia or Kentucky.

[Roadrunner]

I just saw coverage of this terrible storm on columbus channel four news. I heard that people may be trapped and that around 8000 people are without power in athens county and hundreds are in need of shelter. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the people who were affected by these tornadoes.

[Burg_Grad_77]

The 1st post says 6 confirmed deaths. Hopefully that is wrong.

I have ONN on nothing said on there...

That's great news. I was just going by what the 1st post said.

[indianabuck]

everyone here needs prayers. Athens HS Suffered major damage and the football/soccer field was totally destroyed including the press box and visitors bleachers

[Keyser_sozeThrice]

Prayers from Jackson County.

I used to work in Athens County and covered several events at Athens HS and football games at Rutter Field. Those places become part of you.

[Space Cowboy]

I was at work, in Athens, when the tornado went through. Auto Tech at the end of E. State St. was demolished. Thats just a couple of miles down the road from work. The Plains was virtually shut down and I saw various levels of damage everywhere around S.R.691 but it was dark by then. I saw several people being treated by ambulance personnel but didnt stay around as Im sure they needed to keep these areas as clear as possible. I also heard that the Holzer clinic, near Auto Tech, received some minor damage, but cannot confirm that.

I have to work tomorrow, so there will be more accurate news by then.

[soccerfanatic]

I was in the middle of the tornado in The Plains with my boys' soccer team and the girls soccer team inside the locker room next to the field (we had 50 players total boys and girls, along with the officials, coaches, and some parents.) The news is reporting only 40 students were in the school, but this is way off. There was a volleyball game with Vinton going on too and they had all of the volleyball players and fans plus all of the fans from soccer games sought shelter in the school. Our boys team was waiting to play the game after the girls soccer game when we evacuated to the stone building locker room known as the dog house. The opposing team (alexander) evacuated to the school while the home team boys and girls teams, with the officials sought refuge in the locker room. We had to get down on the floor as the tornado passed around the locker room.

The football/soccer stadium was destroyed. Several light poles crashed down, the away stands collapsed, the football goal posts were ripped down, one of the soccer goals flew at least thirty yards before crashing into a structure, the press box blew off the top of the stand and doesn't exist anymore, and the concession stand roof blew off. The high school is in really bad shape as well. Many of the homes right next to the high school were badly damaged or destroyed. Luckily, all of the players and their families made it out okay and reports are that people in the houses near the field were okay too. Some of the parents were in the concession stand when the roof blew off and there were some injuries inside there. It appears the area right around the high school was hit incredibly hard.

[bman]

prayers to the fine folks affected by the twisters tonight.

[buckfan84]

Just to clear things up, there are NO reports of fatalities in Athens County. Lots of damage and some injuries. Amazing how something this dangerous rips through and nobody killed or seriously injured.

[diamondD1]

Just to clear things up, there are NO reports of fatalities in Athens County. Lots of damage and some injuries. Amazing how something this dangerous rips through and nobody killed or seriously injured.

Thank you. When people post things such as "confirmed deaths" they need to realize what kind of panic that stirs in people's hearts who have family members in the area. It's good to wait and be certain instead of trying to be the one to break the story.

[rbwfan]

prayers for all the residents of the area, it will be tough times coming up getting through this.