It's a drill! Portage EMA, county staff learn at tornado, hazmat event

RAVENNA TWP. − It was only a drill. The Portage County Emergency Management Agency gathered Sept. 9 to work on logistics for a number of frightening events that could someday impact our neighbors. Dozens of representatives from the county's agencies and organizations worked computers and phones as they tried solve problems posed by "one of the deadliest tornadoes in Ohio history." Of course, that was the view from a "reporter in Ravenna" during a breaking news brief shown on a large screen following an F-4 tornado that ripped a large swath overnight through the central portion of Portage County. Meanwhile, as if that was not enough, the Portage County Hazmat Team was contending with a train car that overturned near Oakwood Street in Ravenna, releasing noxious Sulphur dioxide into the air.

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Scoop News DeskPortage, Ohio · Published Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 3:53 PM UTCUpdated Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 11:27 PM UTC

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The number of injured and killed also had not been determined, but in answer to questioning, Shackelford said "the deceased are in the 10s." Estimates of damage to residences and businesses were a work in progressive but known to be "extensive." Many people had been displaced, and Kent State University's MAC Center was set up as a community reception center and shelter.