Crews from Dublin, Gahanna, Grove City, Westerville and Worthington spent the week of Aug. 11 working alongside Upper Arlington teams to clear trees and debris left by the storm that ripped through the community with straight-line winds estimated at 90–100 mph.
The City of Upper Arlington announced the mutual-aid effort on X on Aug. 14, sharing four photos of workers operating chainsaws and heavy equipment in residential neighborhoods. The city thanked the five municipalities for "rolling up your sleeves and helping us."
Those five cities are part of a broader regional response. The city's official storm-response page, last updated Aug. 14, lists nine outside entities that assisted: the five named cities plus Hilliard, Canal Winchester, Norwich Township and Ohio State University.
The storm damaged at least 75 homes, according to a city spokesperson quoted by NBC4. Temporary street closures went up near Upper Arlington High School on Halstead Road, Pickwick Drive and Wellesley Drive so crews could safely remove downed trees. Schools canceled classes Aug. 12 during the first week of the academic year.
AEP Ohio reported that nearly all central Ohio customers who lost power after the Aug. 11 storm had electricity restored by 10 p.m. Aug. 14.
Gov. Mike DeWine declared a Franklin County emergency, as we reported Friday, unlocking state aid for recovery. The Upper Arlington Community Foundation's Good Neighbor Fund is also available to assist residents navigating storm impacts.
What's ahead — community calendar:
- Monday, Aug. 17: Curbside chipping begins. City crews will make one pass through Upper Arlington to chip or remove storm-related tree limbs. Branches must be no more than 10 inches in diameter and up to 12 feet long. Have debris at the curb by Monday morning.
- Available since Friday, Aug. 14: A spoiled-food dumpster at the Municipal Services Center parking lot (north end, off Tremont Road) for residents who lost food during the extended power outage. Food items only.
- Bob Crane Community Center (3200 Tremont Road) has served as a cooling and charging station during outages, with a police officer on-site for walk-in damage reports.
