Madison County officials assess damage caused by tornadoes

MADISON COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) -- Officials in Madison County are still assessing all of the damage caused by Wednesday's tornados as cleanup in the area continues. 

Two tornadoes touched down in Madison County. One hit the Madison County Airport. 

“Two brand new, well relatively new hangars, they were about four years old that are flattened. They’re basically not there anymore," said Rob Slane, Madison County Administrator. "Four or five other hangars were significantly damaged, and all the hangars just about received some sort of damage.”

He also said several planes were damaged but due to some collapsed hangars, crews have not gotten to all of them yet. A structural engineer was at the airport on Friday.

“See what buildings need to come down and which buildings can be saved and then we’ll go through that process of essentially replacing those hangars," Slane said.

County commissioners held an emergency meeting Friday where an emergency declaration was passed.

"That allows us to move a little quicker, immediately on the response. Because essentially that raises our bid limit from $75,000 to $125,000," Slane said.

The county will also be applying for reimbursements from FEMA, according to Slane. His conservative estimate was more than $1 million in damage at the airport. There's no timeframe for when it will reopen. Given the amount of damage around the county, leaders continue to be amazed that no one was hurt.

“That’s really an interesting fact considering the severity of the storm and the amount of damage that occurred that we didn't have any injuries, so we’re extremely grateful for that," Slane said.

Deb Sims, Director of Madison County Emergency Management Agency, has worked with the agency for 18 years. She said between damage to homes, the airport, and Ohio State University's Molly Caren Agricultural Center where the Farm Science Review is held, it's the worst damage she's seen in person.