The fatalities occurred in the village of Moscow and Tate Township, areas that were affected most by the storm and the F3 tornado that originated in Campbell County, traveled across the Ohio River through Moscow and covered nearly 20 miles.
“It got real dark and quiet,” Linda Sisson, a Moscow resident, said about the storm. “When the rain came down it sounded like hail. We could just feel the house rocking.”
Sisson, who lives on 3rd Street in the village, said her house was not badly damaged but when she went outside, she could not believe what she saw.
“I am 51 and never did I think it would get this town,” she said about a tornado. “But it did.”
Vicky Dale, another Moscow resident who lives on Broadway Street, said she was in her house when she heard sirens going off. She said she had her children come downstairs and they took cover in the living room.
“We stood there in the living room and the whole house just shook,” Dale said. “I heard cracking and my front window came off.”
Dale said she thought about running across the street to the old bar for better shelter, but half of it was gone.
“That’s when I got scared,” she said.
And while the line of storms died down in the evening, damage was already devastating in the village of Moscow as well as other areas in the county that were hit hard.
State and local officials discussed the situation at a press conference March 3 at New Richmond High School, which was also used as a shelter after the storm.
“It is very tragic we have had three fatalities,” Commissioner Bob Proud said during the press conference.
Carol Forste, 64, a member of council in Moscow, James Prater, 54, of Bethel, and Bill Adkins, 58, of Bethel, died as a result of the severe weather.
In addition, many other residents were forced to seek shelter and assistance after their homes were damaged the night of the storms.
“These things are unpredictable, but they are devastating,” Governor John Kasich said about the tornado. “Probably the biggest challenge we’re going to have is housing.”
According to initial building inspections, more than 50 homes or structures in Moscow and Washington Township had serious damage after the storm and more than 100 had minor damage. Franklin Township and Tate Township also had significant damages.
“It is amazing to me there was not a greater loss of life,” Sheriff Tim Rodenberg said. “We are very fortunate.”
Sheriff Rodenberg, as well as many other police, fire fighters and first responders, worked through the night to help provide assistance to residents affected by the storms. And in the following days, worked to secure the areas that he called ‘treacherous.’
He said the county has not seen this kind of devastation since the 1997 flood, which happened the same time of year.
Sheriff Rodenberg and other officials explained that assessing all of the damage and organizing clean-up efforts would be the next steps for the county.
Representatives from Duke Energy the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross also discussed their efforts to help residents in need.
“To me the number one effort is to start to pick up the debris,” Governor Kasich said. “The aftermath is like a bomb went off.”
Governor Kasich said that especially in the village of Moscow, residents have no place to go because so many homes were destroyed.
He said officials from the state will continue to provide assistance in Clermont County including the Ohio EMA, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio State Highway Patrol and more.
Originally, Governor Kasich did not seek federal assistance in Ohio, but after assessing damage in the concentrated areas, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were sent to Clermont County March 6 to survey damage from the storm.
Teams were sent to the village of Moscow, Bethel, Tate Township and Franklin Township to conduct assessments.
A small contingent of Ohio Army National Guardsmen was also deployed to the Moscow area this week to assist in cleanup efforts.
“We’re knocked down but we’re not knocked out,” Governor John Kasich said during the press conference. “We’re going to get through it.”