Wicked wind caused power outages Wednesday

By WKYC Reporter Mike O'Mara

GENEVA -- Nervous neighbors borrowed generators today as the wait for power continues. For many residents nothing was more comforting than the sound of the generator motor firing up.

In Geneva, Pastor James Walker was about to have a flooded basement and got the power flowing in the nick of time.

"I've already taken hundreds of gallons out there by hand for the failed sump pump", said a weary Walker. "Thank goodness we got this thing."

Dozens of crews on emergency status were sawing downed trees and limbs from toppled power lines all across Northeast Ohio.

Early this morning some of the gale force winds clocked above 60 miles an hour. Block wide outages were reported in Lakewood and Parma. In Cleveland's Little Italy and Wade Park neighborhoods, residents waited patiently in the dark.

Huge trees were no match for the power of Mother Nature in Aquilla Village in Geauga county.

"You should have seen it. There were sparks flying all over!"

Near Ashtabula, Danny Thompson had the closest call. A power line came down on top of his truck as he was leaving work this morning. He was trapped inside the vehicle for two hours as his door handles started melting.

"Then it would would spark off the road, too. That's when the truck door handles actually started smoking and burning. I was getting pretty darn nervous."

School parking lots were empty in Geneva and Ashtabula with classes cancelled because of power concerns this morning. That was great news for young students playing football instead of studying for exams.

"I got up and saw it on Channel 3 News", said student Jimmy O'Leary. "And then I said oh yeah!"

By 7:30p.m. Wednesday night, more than 6,000 customers of First Energy were still waiting for the lights to come back on.

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