Crews from the City of Tipp City and several local construction companies begin the cleanup process along Third Street at the north end of the city following a tornado that impacted a number of Tipp City businesses on Wednesday evening.
Mike Ullery | Miami Valley Today
By Sam Wildow
TIPP CITY — The National Weather Service in Wilmington confirmed at least one tornado touched down Wednesday evening, occurring in Miami County near West Milton and Tipp City sometime between approximately 5:55 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
As a result of these storms, the National Weather Service plans to conduct damage surveys in the coming days to assess the damage and confirm the details of what occurred. Additional details on this confirmation will be available after a survey is conducted.
“That tornado cell traveled across I-75 to North Third Street in Tipp City, causing extensive damage to several of the large industry buildings up here on North Third Street,” said Tipp City Chief of Police Greg Adkins following Wednesday’s tornado. Adkins said there was significant water damage that was seen in the area as well, but there were no reports of anyone being injured.
One of the biggest places hit was the Meijer Distribution Center in Tipp City. That facility was damaged with its roof partially destroyed and a wall that collapsed. According to Miami County Emergency Management Agency Director Joel Smith, those inside the facility were able to take cover due to early warnings, and no one was injured inside the building.
“I estimated about 100 people were there. Early action may likely have saved lives,” Smith said on Thursday. Smith added that three other industrial facilities at Industry Park Court also experienced significant damage.
“There have been no reports of injuries or loss of life. No major damage has been reported in residential areas,” Smith said.
Additional damage is believed to have been caused by tornadoes and severe storms in the following areas:
• Southeastern Darke County, Ohio, south of Pitsburg. This damage occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m.
• Clark County, Ohio, near Lawrenceville. This damage occurred at approximately 6:35 p.m.
• Brown County, Ohio, near Sardinia. This damage occurred at approximately 7:08 p.m.
• Hocking County, Ohio, near South Bloomingville. This damage occurred at approximately 7:20 p.m.
In addition, damage reports from other locations are still arriving to the National Weather Service.
