Sycamore Township declared a storm damage emergency after Tuesday's derecho, and Duke Energy said Thursday night that power was back on for the vast majority of the region's 260,000-plus affected customers.

The utility reported at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, that crews had restored service to nearly 85% of those who lost electricity when the storm swept through Greater Cincinnati on Aug. 11 with wind gusts topping 60 mph. About 20,000 customers remained without power, according to WLWT. Duke Energy storm director Andy Cassidy said crews had made substantial progress but committed to restoring all customers who can safely receive power by end of day Thursday.

The progress came fast. That morning, nearly 50,000 customers were still in the dark. More than 2,000 lineworkers, tree trimmers and support crews, including workers brought in from Indiana and the Carolinas, have been working around the clock to rebuild damaged lines and poles.

Duke Energy spokesperson John Juech told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Wednesday, Aug. 12, that the storm produced "the highest count of outages and dispersion of damage I've seen across this region in my time at Duke." The utility serves about 765,000 electric customers in Ohio and 155,000 in Kentucky, meaning the derecho knocked out roughly one-third of its regional customer base.

As we reported Aug. 12, the Storm Prediction Center confirmed the event as a derecho.

Sycamore Township debris cleanup

Sycamore Township's storm damage emergency declaration included a registration window for free curbside debris pickup. That deadline passed at 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, but residents who registered have two weeks to get debris to the curb. The township is also offering free brush chipping on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Township Administration Building at 8540 Kenwood Road.

Safety reminders and resources

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Duke Energy warn that generators must be operated outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every level of the home.

SNAP recipients who lost food due to the extended outage may be eligible for replacement benefits. Ohio residents must complete Form 07222 from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services and submit it to their county JFS office by Friday, Aug. 21.

Customers can report outages by texting "OUT" to 57801, calling 1-800-543-5599 or using the Duke Energy app.