Reported by: Jessica Noll
Web produced by: Jessica Noll
On September 14, 2008, the Tri-State was victim to some of the strongest wind gusts in the area’s history. It became the Blackout of 2008.
The deadly windstorm blasted Northern Kentucky with hurricane force uprooting trees, bringing down branches and damaging homes and cars.
More than 140,000 residents and businesses in Northern Kentucky woke up the following Monday without power, to learn that many schools and businesses closed and to grim reality of streets and yards strewn with limbs, downed trees and tangled power lines.
One Glencoe, Ky., resident said that people couldn’t get to where they needed to go because of road closures near her.
"We [were] hearing trees down in the roadways, causing residents not able to get into or out of their homes," said Lowell Ginn.
Sunday’s windstorm brought gusts approaching 80 mph – speeds of a Category 1 hurricane – and pummeled the region with sustained winds clocked at 40 mph – speeds of a tropical storm.
According to the Kenton County dispatch the “entire county is a disaster area.”
The county had power lines down, trees fallen and according to dispatch, almost every major street was blocked.
Campbell County officials said there was “lots of wind damage and power outages.”
The windstorm damaged a Delta Air Lines' hangar at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Officials report roof damage to North Pointe and Ockerman schools in Boone County. At Turfway Park the roof on grandstand partially collapsed.
Several streets in Covington, Ky., were closed due to downed trees and power lines and the city police were relying on emergency generators for power at the police station.
Northern Kentucky emergency management officials expect it to take a week to complete the clean up. In Newport, city officials are asking for a declaration for disaster assistance to help with reimbursement of expenses.
Downstate in Kentucky, the death of a 10-year-old was blamed on the windstorm. Frederick Wilson died Sunday after being struck by a large limb while mowing his family's yard at Simpsonville.
