CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne on Saturday urged Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to waive a state-imposed threshold to declare a state of emergency as widespread storm damage and power outages continue to grip Northeast Ohio.
The request comes as crews continue to clean up downed trees, power lines and debris from Tuesday's tornadoes and storms and some 70,000 or more Cuyahoga County residents remain in the dark. Ronayne's administration has declared a state of emergency for the county.
The county executive sent DeWine's administration a letter asking to waive the $5.9 million threshold of incurred damages and expenses required by the state to make a declaration of emergency. Ronayne's office said the county's Office of Emergency Management has been cataloguing the damages and expects that number to be met soon, but as of Saturday at 1 p.m., the county has not reached the required threshold.
“Our communities need additional resources and funding as they recover from last week’s storms and tornados [sic]. Waiving the threshold requirements will allow us to mobilize even more resources to support cities and communities in need,” Ronayne said.
Ronayne's letter echoes previous calls from 14 state lawmakers from Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake counties who wrote the governor urging him to declare a state of emergency. On Thursday, DeWine, a Republican, issued a proclamation formally directing state agencies to be ready to offer further assistance to Northeast Ohio communities if the need arises.
Ronayne, a Democrat, said the county OEM has worked with Ohio's Department of Public Health to bring an oxygen tank refill station to MetroHealth hospital in Cleveland and a base at the Brook Park Recreation Center. It also coordinated with the state Department of Jobs and Family Services on SNAP benefits.
At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt said the roof of the city's recreation center that was torn off in the storms has been replaced with a 90-day temporary roof. The damages in Brook Park has so far been calculated at over $2 million, and Orcutt said that number may push $5-10 million or more once everything is tabulated.
"We have reached out to the governor's office to let him know that we are in a state of emergency and that we could utilize everything that he can give," Orcutt said. "We could use bodies, trucks, equipment to help with this cleanup."
Parma Heights Mayor Marie Gallo said her city's crews are going "above and beyond" to help recover from the storms.
"I'm optimistic that the state will come through and assist us because we need it right now," Gallo said.
Rep. Tom Patton, a Republican who serves the seventh district in the Ohio House of Representatives, said there's been a "disconnect" between local and state officials that "we need to learn from." He suggested local officials should have asked the state for help sooner.
"First we have to take care of all the damage," Patton said. "However, going forward we need to know that when an incident like this occurs on a [Tuesday] and then on a Saturday we're getting a declaration asked for and issued, that's way too long. That can never happen again."
Ronayne said Cuyahoga County needs resources from the state as well as the federal government and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"Today we declared a state of emergency for Cuyahoga County because we couldn't wait," Ronayne said. We needed the state to realize that it is time. It is time to recognize the devastation that has happened here and help us appeal to the federal government for FEMA support in the future."
3News Digital Producer Anna Meyer and Senior Digital Producer Dave DeNatale contributed to this report.