May 2—Ohio will receive federal funding to help areas affected by the deadly March 14 tornado outbreak after President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state.

In a release, the president said that the aftermath of the tornadoes constituted a “major disaster” and ordered federal assistance to add to state and local recovery efforts in 11 counties in Ohio, including Auglaize, Crawford, Darke, Delaware, Hancock, Licking, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Richland and Union counties.

The assistance can include temporary housing and home repair grants, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property damage, and other programs.

Residents and business owners who saw losses due to the tornadoes can start applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by using the FEMA app, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

Federal funds can also be used for hazard mitigation efforts statewide, the release said.

FEMA’s Toney L. Raines has been appointed to coordinate federal recovery operations in the affected area. In a separate release, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said that he designated Ohio Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Sima Merick as the State Coordinating officer for the presidential disaster declaration.

Severe thunderstorms on March 14 brought several tornadoes to our area, killing three people, injuring more than two dozen and dealing extensive damage to homes, buildings and trees.

This tornado outbreak included an EF-3 tornado in Auglaize and Logan counties that struck the communities around Indian Lake, killing three people and injuring 27 as well as leaving behind a “corridor of severe damage,” according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

The tornado was about a mile wide when it struck the Lakeview area, the NWS said.

The outbreak also included an EF-2 tornado that crossed two counties in Indiana before moving into Darke County, finally ending in Miami County. This tornado injured two people in Greenville Twp.

Damage surveys after the storms confirmed another EF-2 tornado in Union County and three EF-1 tornadoes in western Mercer County, near Celina and in Licking County, as well as an EF-2 tornado that started in Jefferson County in Indiana and crossed three counties to end in Carroll County in Kentucky.