CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a proclamation Friday to ready all state agencies to assist the Northeast Ohio community following Tuesday’s storms.

In the proclamation, DeWine ordered ‘all State departments and agencies to be at the ready and to utilize their personnel and resources as necessary to protect the lives, safety, health, and property of the citizens of Ohio and to assist with recovery efforts in communities impacted by this severe weather event if needed and requested by local authorities’.

The proclamation comes one day after the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed a fourth tornado Tuesday, all four of them EF-1 strength events.

RELATED STORY: 4 tornadoes confirmed in NE Ohio storms: NWS

“Ohio EMA has closely been monitoring developments regarding the damaging storms since they developed on Tuesday,” a press release from the governor’s office said. “Ohio EMA has been coordinating state agency response and in the central clearinghouse for local requests for state assistance.”

19 News obtained the full proclamation from Gov. DeWine, which you can read below:

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NORTHEAST, Ohio (WOIO) – While thousands continue to lack power after Tuesday’s storms, some Northeast Ohio cities and businesses offer relief.

RELATED STORY: Severe weather cancels events and topples trees, powerlines in Northeast Ohio

Councilman Charles Slife said some city recreation centers will be available as cooling centers with charging, wifi and limited food from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

The locations are below:

• Michael J. Zone Rec at West 65th Street and Lorain Road.
• Cudell Rec at West Boulevard and Detroit Road
• Gunning still has no power

Parma Heights firefighters offer help for residents on oxygen

Residents on oxygen are invited to come to the fire department for emergency refills, according to a post by the Parma Heights firefighters on Facebook August 7.

The fire station is located at 6184 Pearl Road.

If you have no transportation to the fire department, please call 440-885-1717 and a firefighter will come to your home.

In a release Friday, Mayor Mark Spaetzel listed a few locations to act as charging stations. AvonLake.org offers a more comprehensive list.

• The Anchor, 33483 Lake Road on Friday from 10am – 6pm
• Avon Lake Presbyterian Church, 32340 Electric Blvd: Friday 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and Monday through Thursday next week from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Good Neighbor Thrift Store, 158 Lear Road: Available with a free cup of coffee

Residents on oxygen should call 911 immediately if experiencing a power outage.

Food trucks will be outside the Safety Center located at 32855 Walker Road.

Thursday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday and Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Cuyahoga County Public Libraries welcomes those without power to use Wi-Fi, electricity and A/C

Cuyahoga County Public Libraries welcomes those without power to use Wi-Fi, electricity and A/C.

The hours of operation are listed below:

• Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

FirstEnergy: Over 2,500 crews coming to NE Ohio to assist in ‘historic’ outage, nearly 195k powerless

University Heights City Hall posted on its website that libraries will be open for cooling, relaxing, reading and charging.

The University Heights Branch is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The same post on the website said that residents can visit Purvis Park without a pass during regular business hours to shower.

The pool is open Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The following city facilities are open.

• Mentor Municipal Center
• Morton Pool – Saturday, August 10 is the last day of the 2024 swim season.
• Black Brook Golf Course
• Wildwood Cultural Center
• Walsh Park
• Mentor Cemetery

The following city facilities are operating at limited function.

• Mentor Senior Center – Power has been restored to this facility and is open today from 8 AM to 5 PM to all Lake County residents as a cooling and charging station. Lunch is available for purchase for those 55+ today. The center will also be open this Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11 from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The Senior Center will be back to full operations on Monday, August 12th. No classes or activities until then.
• Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve & Marina – No electricity or phones. All paths closed due to downed power lines.
• Mentor Community Recreation Center – Power has been restored to the facility which will reopen today at noon. Classes will resume Saturday, August 10, 2024.

The following city facilities remain closed indefinitely:

• Mentor Ice Arena
• Civic Center Pool

Rural King will is offering free water from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.

It will also have generators on sale for nearly half off at $800.

Rural King is located at 430 Oberlin Road.

The Geauga Family YMCA is opening its doors to those in need of a cooling center, access to showers, electricity for devices and refreshments including bottled water, fresh fruit and juice boxes.

Planet Fitness announced Friday that in response to the tornadoes, it will allow members and nonmembers to access its facilities until power is back on. Staff will also be handing out water bottles.

• 1533 S Hawkins Ave, Akron, OH, 44320
• 1200 E State St, Alliance, OH, 44601
• 161 Wooster Rd N, Barberton, OH, 44203
• 5755 Smith Rd, Brook Park, OH, 44142
• 4317 Whipple Ave NW, Canton, OH, 44718
• 120 Rothrock Rd, Akron, OH, 44321
• 1416 S Water St, Kent, OH, 44240
• 949 E Aurora Rd, Macedonia, OH, 44056
• 3333 Lorain Ave, Cleveland OH 44113
• 1846 Snow Rd, Parma, OH, 44134
• 835 Graham Rd, Stow, OH, 44221
• 16611 Southpark Center, Strongsville, OH, 44136
• 505 South Ave, Tallmadge, OH, 44278

RELATED STORY: Is your power out? What to do and what to avoid: FirstEnergy, SNAP

FirstEnergy announced Thursday that all customers still without power can pick up one bag of ice and two gallons of water for free at local Giant Eagle stores.

The announcement comes a day after the company said power may not be fully restored until August 14.

“Customers do not need to show their bill or any other documentation to obtain their free water and ice,” the company wrote in a release.

Customers can pick up from the following Giant Eagle locations.

• Westlake Market District
• Strongsville Market District
• Route 82 and I-77 Giant Eagle
• Day Drive Giant Eagle
• Biddulph Plaza Giant Eagle
• Parma-Broadview Road Giant Eagle
• Southgate Giant Eagle
• Chesterland Giant Eagle
• Middlefield Giant Eagle
• Tyler & Center Giant Eagle
• North Madison Giant Eagle
• Willoughby Commons Giant Eagle
• Avon Lake Giant Eagle
• Midway Mall Giant Eagle

Cleveland

Cleveland will have a special garbage collection this weekend for all items. Councilman Charles Slife said residents should put bins out on Friday night along with any storm debris as waste collection will be circulating through the city all weekend.

Regular bulk week will begin Monday, however, set out rules are being relaxed due to the storm.

Avon Lake

Dumpsters for food spoils and flood damage materials will be available starting Friday at 12 p.m. at the Avon Lake Service Department located at 750 Avon Belden.

University Heights

University Heights City Hall posted on its website that residents can drop off spoiled food with the University Heights Service Department.

The drop-off location will be the parking lot at the Saybrook Road side of Walter Stinson Community Park.

Drop-off location will be open on Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Dial 2-1-1 to connect to the United Way Help Center if you are in need of food, clothing, housing, healthcare, etc. resources.

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CLEVELAND — As residents recover from the strong storms and tornadoes that hit northeast Ohio on Tuesday, Attorney General Dave Yost is warning Ohioans to watch out for scammers.

Yost said these scammers could present themselves as home-repair experts or fake charities soliciting donations. 

“Bad actors thrive on others bad fortune,” Yost said in a release. “Protect yourself from scammers – verify before you trust.”

Yost provided these tips for residents to protect themselves:

• “Research the business. Ask for identification from the company representative; note the person’s name, address and phone number; and be cautious of any contractor who won’t provide this information. Check out the company’s reputation with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau and ask for references. You can also search for possible previous lawsuits filed by the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section.
• Get multiple written estimates. Obtaining at least three written estimates from three distinct contractors could help you weed out bad apples.
• Don’t make large payments in advance. Instead, pay in increments – for example, a third at the beginning of the job, a third after half of the work is completed to your satisfaction, and the final third when the job is completed.
• Get all promises in writing. Insist on a written contract detailing the costs, the work to be done, the starting and end dates, and any verbal promises made by the contractor. The contract should also note whether subcontractors will be used and whether the contractor has or will obtain the necessary licenses and permits. Insist on being provided a copy of every document you sign or initial.
• Understand your cancellation rights. If the contract resulted from a door-to-door sale, you generally have three days to cancel the contract, according to Ohio’s Home Solicitation Sales Act. The seller should give you written notice of these rights.
• Consider paying with a credit card. Paying with a credit card, as opposed to paying in cash or by check, generally gives you greater protection to dispute unauthorized charges.”

As for fake charities, residents can check the Research Charities webpage to see if charities have gone through registration requirements, see what others say about the groups and more.