JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Jackson Township closed several roads Wednesday after severe thunderstorms left heavy debris and downed utility lines across the area, the township said in a Facebook post.
State Route 50 is closed in both directions between Monterey Road and state Route 133, and Monterey Road is closed in both directions between Freedom Trail and Newtonsville-Hutchinson Road, according to the township. Richey Road is also closed.
Township officials said heavy debris remains in the roadway on Monterey Maple Grove Road between state Route 50 and Caudill East, on Jackson Pike, and along state Route 133 south from state Route 50 to state Route 32, and they urged drivers to use extreme caution even on roads that remain open, warning that additional debris and downed lines could still be present.
Fire, maintenance and utility crews were working to clear hazards and restore access, the township said. Officials asked the public to stay away from any downed power line and never assume a line is safe, even if it appears damaged or inactive, and they asked residents willing to help with cleanup to avoid any area where lines are present.
The Jackson Township administrative office was closed Wednesday because of the power outage, but the administrator remained reachable by phone at 513-625-1800, extension 5, or by email at [email protected], the township said.
The closures follow severe thunderstorms that swept Clermont County this week, snapping trees and limbs and knocking out power to roughly 40,000 Duke Energy customers countywide, according to the utility. The Clermont County Engineer’s Office separately closed nine roads because of storm damage, including a stretch of Monterey Road between U.S. 50 and Newtonsville-Hutchinson Road.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Jackson Township.