An overnight storm caused thousands of dollars worth of damages to some homes in Brunswick Hills Township and triggered a tornado alarm across the Brunswick area.
A call from resident Tony Moran alerted emergency responders to the strong winds pushing through parts of Medina County early Monday morning.
“The mud room, it’s gone!” Moran told a 911 dispatcher after opening his back door to find the wall of his porch had blown away. “I opened the door there’s nothing there it’s gone.”
Within minutes of the call, the City activated six tornado sirens around 3:30 a.m.
“The decision was made right then and there we’re going to activate the siren,” said city spokesman Nick Solar.
Fire officials told newsnet5.com that many roofs, fences, siding and other outdoor equipment were damage in the areas near Mark Road and Grafton Road.
The National Weather Service Cleveland did not classify the storm as a tornado, unlike two full-blown tornados that ripped through the same area in 2014.
Solar told newsnet5.com the city was criticized after sirens failed to sound during those storms. He said the decision to set off the alarm this time around was informed by that experience, in part.
“If somebody’s offended or awakened by the situation that’s unfortunate but if it turned out that it was a tornado that was going to keep on going you’re trying to do your best to alert the residents,” Solar explained.
The Brunswick Hills Fire Department tended to residents with damages early this morning and told newsnet5.com that no injuries were reported.
