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Residents cleaning up after storms across Greater Cincinnati

Posted at 5:11 PM, Oct 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-20 18:42:11-04

INDEPENDENCE, Ky. -- Strong storms damaged many areas across Greater Cincinnati Wednesday night.

Hundreds of trees fell across Independence, Kentucky as strong winds blew through. Thousands of people lost power. Independence firefighters made dozens of runs.

Now, residents are starting the slow cleanup process. Duke Energy crews are out removing fallen trees, too.

In Melissa Howell's neighborhood, the winds snapped 70-foot-tall trees.

"The pine trees are snapped like pretzels," Howell said.

A Tornado Warning was issued during the storm, but there have been no confirmed touch-downs. Still, it was a scary experience.

"The whole house shook," Howell said. "It was unbelievable."

Assistant Fire Chief Greg Nordmeyer said fire crews made more than 30 runs since 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. They normally make one or two a night.

"It was kind of unexpected," Nordmeyer said. "We were expecting some light rain for the evening and got surprised with a Tornado Warning."

Most of the calls were for downed trees and power lines or minor crashes.

Howell said she was looking at the damage and coming up with a plan to better prepare for the next big storm.