Congresswoman Brown Joins Colleague Urges Gov. Dewine: Declare State Emergency for Ohio Power Outage

Photo of damage from the stormPhoto byCharlene Tucker

(Disclaimer. This article is an official press release from the office of Congresswoman Shontel Brown of the 11th Congressional District)

Cleveland, OH. Following the tornado that disrupted the livelihood of tens of thousands of Ohioans - and lost power, Congresswoman Shontel Brown joins colleagues in asking Ohio's Governor Mike Dewine to declare Northeast Ohio as an emergency.

Congresswoman Emilia Strong Sykes, Max Miller (OH-07), and Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) led the letter.

"The storms this week significantly damaged Northeast Ohio, and too many people and businesses remain powerless. Tens of thousands of my constituents are nowadays without power, with long outages still in sight – it’s a real problem. Ohio declaring a State of Emergency is the necessary next step, and I join my colleagues from the delegation in calling on Governor DeWine to issue a declaration promptly. This is an emergency and should be recognized as one," wrote Congresswoman Shontel Brown.

The bipartisan letter begins, “In light of this week’s record-setting tornados and last night’s extensive rainfall and flooding, we ask that you declare a state of emergency across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, and Wayne counties and request Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Damage Assessment Teams to survey the impacted areas."

On Tuesday afternoon, severe weather swept through Northeast Ohio, causing massive damage to Northeast Ohioans. Homes were damaged, the property was destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Ohioans lost electrical power. Although Cleveland Public Power was able to gain control of securing power quickly for residents, First Energy struggled. The power company brought in technicians from other neighboring states to assist. According to First Energy, most homes and businesses will have services restored by Wednesday, August 14, 2024.

Technicians in Cleveland Ward OnePhoto byThe Brown Report Newspaper

We placed the entire letter here to read.

Letter from Northeast Ohio CongresspersonsPhoto byCongress of the United States

Part Two Letter ContinuationPhoto byCongress of the United States

Ohioans can contact First Energy for more information on power outage updates via text 544487 or call (866) - 569-4770.