Tornadoes ripped through the Miami Valley late Monday night, leaving dozens injured and many without homes. Emergency responders have been performing search and rescue operations Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least two tornadoes touched down in Dayton and its surrounding suburbs. The storms tore houses in half, leveled some buildings and left many people trapped by debris. Downed power lines and gas leaks have resulted in multiple fires. Total casualty numbers have not yet been released.
Dayton Resident Bryan Peak says the roof of his apartment complex collapsed.
“It was just kind of chaos for a minute because everybody was kind of screaming around the complex, running around, seeing if everybody was okay and going from apartment to apartment, so it was pretty intense." Peak says.
Damage has been reported in multiple counties. The city of Celina, northwest of Dayton, was particularly hit hard. Police say downed power lines and debris have made driving into the city unsafe.
Dayton residents are being asked to conserve water after the city lost power to both water plants and pump stations. More than 5 million people throughout the state of Ohio are without power due to the storms.
The Red Cross has opened several shelters across the region.