Ohio
What is a state of emergency and why did Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declare one in Ohio?
After eight tornadoes hit 11 Ohio counties last week, Governor Mike DeWine has declared a state of emergency. So, what does “state of emergency” mean in Ohio, and what does it do for those areas?
Here’s what to know.
What is a state of emergency in Ohio?
Ohio law gives the governor authority to declare a state of emergency as a way to direct resources to help with urgent needs. The Ohio Constitution also gives the governor authority to call out the state militia (the Ohio National Guard) to act in the event of a disaster.
The governor has broad authority to declare an emergency, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, except for when it violates sections the Constitution, such as the separation of powers.
In the case of the March 14 tornadoes, DeWine’s declaration calls for services, equipment, supplies and personnel to assist in the response and recovery effort from the following agencies:
- Ohio Department of Public Safety
- Ohio Emergency Management Agency
- Ohio State Highway Patrol
- Ohio Department of Transportation
- Ohio Department of Health
- Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Ohio Department of Administrative Services
Additionally, DeWine activated the Ohio National Guard to help Logan County officials with the cleanup of storm debris on public property.
How long does a state of emergency last?
A state of emergency declaration by the governor is in effect for a maximum of 90 days, per Ohio Revised Code. The state legislature can approve an extension, for up to an additional 60 days.
Lawmakers can continue to extend the state of emergency if needed, according to the legislative commission. The legislature also has the authority to terminate a state of emergency.
What’s the role of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency during an emergency?
The executive director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency coordinates all emergency management activities of state agencies and acts as the liaison between Ohio and emergency management agencies in other states and the federal government. Ohio is part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement that allows states to share resources during governor-declared states of emergency.
What’s the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency?
An emergency declaration may be necessary to qualify for federal assistance, which becomes available after a state shows its resources are insufficient to address the emergency.
To qualify for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the governor must first request it, according to FEMA. Then, federal, state and local officials will survey the damage to determine if federal assistance is needed. If FEMA help is needed, the President of the United States will make a declaration.
Ohio weather: What help is available from FEMA for victims of severe storms and tornadoes?
Federal assistance may include temporary housing and home repair grants and low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), according to FEMA.
Renters dealing with uninsured or under-insured losses from the storms can also apply for relief to help replace furniture and primary vehicles. The assistance may also help cover out-of-pocket medical and dental expenses, child care, or moving and storage costs.
GIRARD, Ohio (WKBN) – Over 100 athletes came together for the 5th Annual Trumbull County Special Olympics Invitational Saturday morning in Girard.
These athletes represent five different schools across Trumbull County to compete and spread the message of inclusion, achievement, and sportsmanship.
The Invitational continued its long-standing tradition of honoring the legacy of Randy Suchanek while celebrating the dedication and accomplishments of Special Olympics athletes throughout the region.
“You can hear all the excitement for this, for the athletes that are here today,” said superintendent Bryan O’Hara. “They work hard all year long to participate. We’ve always worked hand in hand with the rotary to get this accomplished is a lot of work behind the scenes.”
Participating schools included Ashtabula, Geauga, Columbiana, Kent-Portage and Trumbull Fairhaven
“There’s a lot of nice participation from girard students as you see behind us, and a lot of participation from the community helping out,” Girard-Liberty Rotary co-president Andy Kish added.
O’Hara added that the event keeps everything in perspective, seeing the athletes compete in the spirit of fun, along with the courage and determination that they show.
Alex Sorrells contributed to this report.
Out of prison, Indiana’s caviar king back on Ohio River to find fishing holes taken
David Cox, of English, Indiana, says once he began setting his nets again after a two-year prison sentence and a three-year ban on commercial fishing, all of his once-secret spots were taken.
Can you eat fish from the Ohio River?
In 1975, future presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, then governor of Massachusetts, bet 20 pounds of New England cod that the Red Sox would defeat the Reds in the World Series. If things went south for Boston, Ohio governor James Rhodes promised to send Dukakis 10 pounds of Lake Erie perch and 10 pounds of Ohio River catfish. The Reds ended up winning and the cod was sent to the Convalescent Home for Children, in Cincinnati.
At the time, people were still eating catfish from the Ohio without too much concern. The fish were also served at several restaurants along the river.
There were warnings in 1977
But two years later, in 1977, The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission released the results of a study of contaminants found in the tissues of Ohio River fish. They warned anglers in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wheeling and Gallipolis that man-made chemicals known as PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, had been discovered in the river fish. Later, high concentrations of mercury were discovered in the fish, too.
Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the environmental regulations that followed, the river is now cleaner than it was in the seventies. And it’s still teeming with a variety of fish, including catfish, striped bass, drum and black bass, among other species.
But even though PCBs were banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, they are still found in fish, since they remain in the sediment in the bottom of the river. “Organisms live in the sediment and fish feed on them,” Rich Cogen, the executive director of the Ohio River Foundation told The Enquirer. Mercury is also a big problem, according to Cogen.
So the question is: Can you eat fish caught in the Ohio River?
The short answer is yes. But it depends on what species you are eating and where along the river you caught it.
There are also very strict limitations on how frequently you should eat them, according to the web site for the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory, part of the Ohio Department of Health.
In areas of the river between the Belleville Lock, located 204 miles downstream from the river’s origins in Pittsburgh, to the Indiana border, the advisory agency currently recommends consuming Ohio River fish no more than once a month max. That area includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Hamilton, Lawrence, Meigs and Scioto counties.
Here’s where to check
Recommendations change throughout the year, but you can keep up by visiting the Ohio Department of Health’s Sport Fish Consumption Advisory page, which provides updated information on when certain fish, usually bottom feeders such as carp, are deemed too dangerous to eat at all.
Here’s who should take a pass on Ohio River fish
The agency also warns that people who are more likely to have health effects from eating contaminated fish, includingchildren younger than 15 years old, pregnant women and women who are planning to become pregnant to avoid Ohio River fish altogether.
Just because you have to limit the amount of fish you eat, doesn’t mean the river is a bad place for fishing, as long as you limit your intake or do catch-and-release fishing. Just make sure you have a proper fishing license before casting your line.
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It isn’t over until it’s over. That’s the case for both the UCLA Bruins football program recruiting and for quarterback Brady Edmunds. Edmunds is currently committed to head to Ohio State but he took a visit from UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy earlier this week.
Kennedy met Edmunds on Thursday despite the fact that the quarterback has been committed to the Buckeyes since December of 2024 but could the UCLA Bruins be making a run at flipping the quarterback?
Edmunds has only had an official visit with Ohio State but could UCLA heave a heat check on the 6’5” quarterback? New UCLA head coach Bob Chesney is off to an unbelievable start to his recruiting with the Bruins and flipping a recruit of Edmunds’ caliber would be his most impressive move yet.
247 Sports has Edmunds as the No. 16 quarterback in the class, which would give UCLA a clear predecessor for Nico Iamaleava whenever the Bruins current starting quarterback decides to head to the professional level.
It’d be a full circle moment for the Bruins, as Edmunds was originally recruited to Ohio State by former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who bailed on UCLA to go run the Buckeyes offense. Ohio State is a great spot for a developing quarterback, as the Buckeyes produce tons of NFL talent, especially at the wide receiver position, which would help Edmunds put up some gaudy numbers in Columbus.
Chesney and the Bruins have geography on their side, Edmunds attends Huntington Beach High School in Southern California, which could potentially become a factor if Edmunds views UCLA as a program on the rise that’d be much closer to his friends and family than out in Ohio.
Time will tell if Kennedy’s visit will make a difference but UCLA’s recruiting has made waves in the first offseason under Chesney and the new regime.
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