The roof was peeled back, front to rear, on four office buildings in the 200 block of E. Court St. due to the storm damage Friday afternoon, Sept. 6, 2024. Power was shut off to as many offices as possible on that block where the damage occurred.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
The fire department has blocked off the front of the offices, parking spaces in front, and the rear of the building of the 200 block of E. Court St. for safety, due to severe roof damage from the Friday afternoon storm.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, OHIO — The brief but damaging storm that blew through Washington Court House just after 3:30 p.m on Friday caused severe damage to the roof of the 200 block of East Court Street. The roof was peeled off from the front of the building to the rear and hangs off the back of the building.
According to Washington Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Jody Langley, there is no layer of protection from the rain at this time, should more rain fall in the next few days. Langley said they checked the interior of as many of the buildings as possible in that block and contacted the owners.
From the office of Allen Griffiths, eye doctor, at 239 E. Court to the Key Realty office at 249 E. Court, the damage was severe on the roof. The fire department put caution tape up on the block and also blocked off the parking spaces in front of that block, and the rear of the building for safety precautions.
Griffiths owns his building and the other three office buildings are owned by John and Glenda Pfeifer.
The fire department was able to utilize the AES power boxes at the rear of the buildings to shut off as much power as possible while they await the AES trucks for more investigation.
AES trucks were dispatched across the city for various power lines and trees down in many areas. The traffic lights in the downtown area were out of service due to a power failure, and stop signs were placed at all corners of all downtown streets. Traffic was congested in town for quite some time. AES is on alert for many repairs, according to the fire department.
The fire department asks that everyone take precautions in the downtown area, and especially in the 200 block of East Court Street until all repairs can be made.
