Marshall County declares emergency after storms, EMA documents EF‑1 tornado and seeks state damage assessments

Marshall County Emergency Management officials said severe thunderstorms and at least one EF‑1 tornado damaged multiple structures and prompted a county emergency declaration in early April.

Jack Garner, Marshall County emergency management director, told the commissioners the county logged widespread straight‑line wind damage and that the National Weather Service surveyed and classified one swath as an EF‑1 tornado. Garner said the county opened the emergency operations center, activated 211 for storm damage reports and began preliminary door‑to‑door assessments so the state could evaluate whether to request FEMA assistance.

Garner said damage assessments identified “double digits” of structures rated major or destroyed during initial inspections, meeting a threshold the state uses when deciding whether to deploy a formal assessment team. He reported that state Homeland Security planned to send a formal assessment team as soon as teams diverted to other areas became available.

The National Weather Service visited the hardest‑hit areas and coordinated post‑event surveys; Garner thanked local first responders and mutual‑aid partners for their work. He said Brittany Sloniker of the extension office provided drone imagery that aided assessments and that Victoria Chesser, Stark County’s EMA director, assisted with on‑site damage inspections.

Garner described the incident timeline: an enhanced risk and storm spotter reports the weekend of March 30 led to initial damage reporting and a travel advisory; a second enhanced risk and more severe impacts around April 2 prompted reactivation of response, opening the emergency operations center at Level 3 and obtaining a county disaster declaration that night.

The county also briefed federal and state officials; Garner said Congressman Rudy Yachtam and Attorney General Todd Raketa toured damage in Bourbon and the county was coordinating with the state on a potential statewide request to FEMA that would aggregate multiple counties’ events.

Garner addressed questions about outdoor warning sirens after public inquiries. He said sirens are triggered for tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service or by a trained spotter reporting a funnel; on March 30 no NWS tornado warning was issued and the county did not sound sirens. On April 2, when a warning was issued, the sirens sounded and residents in Bourbon reportedly had 15–20 minutes lead time. Garner noted gaps in siren coverage—several townships and small towns do not have sirens—and estimated installation costs at roughly $25,000–$75,000 per site.

Garner urged residents to use multiple warning methods, including Wireless Emergency Alerts and the county app, and said the county would include siren infrastructure options in its after‑action review. He closed by thanking volunteers, local fire departments and utility crews for rapid response and communications that helped restore service and clear roads.

The commissioners formally approved a county disaster emergency declaration related to the storms on April 2, 2025, to allow access to state resources and to begin recovery coordination.