Tagged: Weather

Forecasters say wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour could down trees and cause other damage in Ohio as Hurricane Sandy moves in. And Ohioans in low-lying areas and around Lake Erie are being warned to be ready. 

Tamara McBridge with the state emergency management agency says the office has been in contact with local EMAs throughout the state.

Early reports tallying damage from last month's storms in Ohio at $29 million have several Ohio cities anxiously hoping for federal disaster relief.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that the storm costs reported in the state so far total more than half of what Ohio tallied when remnants of Hurricane Ike hit Ohio in 2008.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be assessing damage to the affected counties starting Monday with the verification expected to take up to 10 days.

Governor John Kasich has signed an executive order he says will help farmers affected financially by Ohio's recent drought conditions.

The order signed Wednesday instructs state agencies to help farmers seeking federal assistance on loans. That includes emergency low-interest loans for crop losses, relief payments for non-insurable losses and temporary deferral payments on federal loans.

The order also gives farmers permission to cut hay for livestock from land set aside for conservation.