Severe thunderstorms knocked out power to approximately 2,500 homes and businesses across Franklin County on Aug. 10, with New Albany and Gahanna squarely in the path of the strongest cells.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 10:43 a.m. for northeastern Franklin County, southeastern Delaware County and northwestern Licking County after radar detected a storm near Sunbury producing wind gusts up to 60 mph. A flash flood warning followed around noon for parts of Franklin and Delaware counties, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
AEP Ohio's outage map showed more than 20,000 customers without power statewide as of midday, with Licking County east of New Albany bearing the heaviest hit at roughly 11,000 outages, 10TV reported. The utility has not released a breakdown specific to New Albany or Gahanna, but its service territory directly covers both communities, including facilities on Morrison Road in Gahanna and Smiths Mill Road in New Albany.
No restoration estimate was available as of noon. According to AEP Ohio's outage FAQ, crews prioritize restoring power first to the largest groups of affected customers and to hospitals, emergency responders and public utilities.
More storms Tuesday
The Storm Prediction Center has placed central and southern Ohio under a Level 2 (slight) severe weather risk again for Aug. 11. The National Weather Service forecast calls for a 90% chance of rain, showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, with a high near 86 degrees. An additional 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall overnight, raising the risk for localized flooding.
The National Weather Service expects the active pattern to continue through at least Aug. 13, with daily storm chances. Conditions should gradually improve heading into the weekend.
How to report an outage
Residents who lose power can report it 24 hours a day by calling 800-672-2231 or online at aepohio.com/outages/report. The real-time outage map at outagemap.aepohio.com shows current outages and estimated restoration times by neighborhood.
Safety reminders
AEP Ohio urges residents to treat all downed power lines as dangerous and to stay far away, calling 911 and the utility immediately. Do not remove tree limbs or debris within 10 feet of a power line.
Other guidance from AEP Ohio's storm safety page:
- Never plug a portable generator into a home's circuit box. Generators "backfeed" electricity up the line and can endanger repair workers.
- Unplug electronics and appliances while power is out to protect them from surges when service returns.
- Never operate generators, lanterns, heaters or fuel-fired stoves indoors without proper ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
Residents can sign up for text and email outage alerts at aepohio.com/account/settings/notifications to receive automatic updates when power goes out and when it's restored at their address.
