Strong storms claim Ohio City woman

VW independent staff/submitted information

Severe storms that rolled through Van Wert County on Thursday resulted in one fatality and damage to crops, trees and several buildings.

According to Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency Director Rick McCoy, the fatality occurred at the intersection of Ohio 118 and Hoffman St. in Ohio City, when a large tree fell on a house and garage and an attached patio. The roof of the patio came down on an elderly couple, trapping both occupants. The Ohio City Fire Department rescued both from underneath the debris with Van Wert Fire Department transporting Betty Sidle, 85, to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital in critical condition. She was transferred via medical helicopter to a Fort Wayne hospital where she succumbed to her injuries early Friday morning. Her husband, Bart Sidle, was not injured.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday had predicted severe weather for Thursday with a strong possibility that it would occur. As storms developed across Michigan stretching back to northwest Indiana, the Storm Prediction Center issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Van Wert County and the surrounding area for the possibility of winds to 70 mph and two-inch diameter hail. At 5:35 p.m. the National Weather Service in North Webster issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Van Wert, Paulding, Adams and Allen counties.

A tornado warning was issued a short time later for southeastern Allen County, Indiana, with the storm moving towards Monroeville and Dixon. That prompted McCoy to deploy spotters from the Convoy and Scott Fire Departments and activated the tornado warning siren for Dixon. As the storm moved into Van Wert County it weakened with no additional rotation and no tornado was reported.

Another strong cell intensified just south of Middlebury south of U.S. 224 and produced hail and precipitation that extended to the Village of Ohio City. Along the path, there were two barns damaged and one shed destroyed. There was also considerable damage done to the corn fields in a six-mile path, with corn laid over from the wind with acres of corn also shredded and snapped off at the ground.

There were a number of trees that came down and many limbs broken in the path, including some power outages due to broken electrical lines. As the storm moved into the Ohio City area at approximately 6:35 p.m., the strong winds hit the home where the local couple were trapped by the fallen tree and then the storm weakened as it moved across the remainder of the county.

McCoy stated that the area also received over two inches of rain in a short period of time with one inch sized hail also reported.