Find updated resources for Friday, Aug. 9 here.
As Clevelanders clean up from a summer storm that included two confirmed tornados and whipping winds of 100 mph or more in some areas, many are still without power and internet and could be for days.
Local officials recommend that neighbors check on seniors and people with disabilities or mobility issues, especially if they have medical devices that might need to be charged.
To report downed trees or branches that aren’t an emergency, call 311 in Cleveland. If a power line is down, report that to 911 and don’t touch or move anything in the area.
Cleveland Public Power and FirstEnergy power outage maps
It probably won’t help to keep refreshing the outage maps, but it’s hard to resist.
Initially, more than 400,000 FirstEnergy (The Illuminating Co.) customers in Northeast Ohio – mostly in Cuyahoga County – lost power due to broken power poles, downed power lines and trees. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 254,000 customers had no power. The company sent out a text message telling customers their power would be restored by next Wednesday.
Cleveland Public Power had 34,000 customers lose power, and by Thursday morning service was restored to about 23,300 customers. The utility said it expected to have power restored to the remaining 11,000 customers before the weekend.
Cleveland Public Power outage map
Where can I go to charge my phone or plug in medical devices?
If your Cleveland Public Library branch has power and is open, you can cool down and charge devices there. Check this page to see what branches are open today (Aug. 8). All branches are closed Aug. 9 for staff training.
Cuyahoga County Public Library has 27 branches. Six are closed due to power outages and the rest are open for those who need to cool down, use internet and charge devices. The closed branches are: Bay Village, Brook Park, Brooklyn, North Olmsted, Parma Heights & Richmond Heights.
City of Cleveland Recreation Centers
These Cleveland Recreation Centers will be open until 11 p.m. for charging devices or using the internet
- Collinwood 16300 Lake Shore Blvd – Wi-Fi, no air conditioning
- Zelma George 3155 MLK Jr Blvd – Wi-Fi, air conditioning
- Cudell 1910 West Blvd – Wi-Fi, partial air conditioning
- Michael Zone 6301 Lorain Ave – Wi-Fi, air conditioning
Other places you can go:
- MidTown Tech Hive at6815 Euclid Ave. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Iglesia Nueva Vida at 2327 Holmden Ave. Open 24 hours.
- The reception center at Hayes Elementary School at 16401 Delaware Ave. in Lakewood will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. to charge devices. Safety services will be onsite.
- Gatewood Home, located at 532 E. 185 St., has wifi, free water and coffee, spirits for purchase, and a game room with video and board games.
- Cleveland Liberation Center, 9801 Denison Ave. Open until 7 p.m. Aug. 8, re-opening at 9 a.m. Aug. 9.
- May Dugan Center at 4115 Bridge Ave. in Cleveland is open until 7 p.m. on Aug. 8 for people to charge medical devices.
Note: If you are running low on oxygen, call the number on the canister and ask for an emergency delivery.
How long is the food in my refrigerator safe?
During a power outage, food can stay in a closed refrigerator for about four hours before it is no longer safe to eat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Frozen food will be safe in the freezer for 48 hours if the freezer is full and 24 hours if it is half full. Resist opening and closing the door! You can safely refreeze food if it still has ice crystals or the temperature is 40 degrees or below.
The mantra of food safety agencies: “When in doubt, throw it out.”
Gatewood Home, located at 532 E. 185 St., has a smoker and grill out back and welcomes anyone who wants to cook meat that they can’t keep refrigerated. The backyard also has tables and chairs, a fire pit and basketball hoops.
Where can I go for food and water?
MetroHealth announced the City of Cleveland will provide water and a meal — and an additional place to charge phones and medical devices — at these locations in Cleveland:
On Aug. 8
- Iglesia Nueva Vida, 2327 Holmden Ave. (Food from the pantry and local restaurants, bottled water and coffee, diapers and wipes available. At 4-6 p.m., the church will host a cookout with food from a cancelled National Night Out event.)
- Cleveland Lonnie Burten Center, 2511 E 46th St., (216) 664-4139
- Friendly Inn, 2386 Unwin Rd., (216) 431-7656
On Aug. 9
- Zelma Watson George Roller Skating Facility, 3155 Martin Luther King Jr Dr., (216) 420-8821
- Collinwood Recreation Center, 16300 Lakeshore Blvd., (216) 420-8323
- Cleveland Liberation Center, 9801 Denison Ave. will serve lunch 12-2 p.m. and dinner 7-9 p.m.
Had an appointment scheduled this week at MetroHealth? Check its website for closure updates.
Where can I take my family?
Gatewood Home, located at 532 E. 185 St., has wifi, a game room with video and board games and a fenced-in back yard with basketball hoops and lots of open space.
Iglesia Nueva Vida, at 2327 Holmden Ave., has food (from its pantry and from local restaurants), bottled water, diapers and wipes and outlets for phone charging. At 4-6 p.m., the church will host a cookout with food from a cancelled National Night Out event.
Cleveland Liberation Center at 9801 Denison Ave. opens at 9 a.m. on Friday and will serve lunch at 12-2 p.m. and dinner 7-9. p.m. There will be a family-friendly movie at 3 p.m. and activities for kids all day. The center also offers free wifi and charging stations.
I heard I can replace ruined food I purchased with SNAP benefits. How?
If you receive SNAP benefits and your power was out for more than four hours, you can request benefits to replace food you lost.You 10 days to request benefits.
- Fill out this form.
- Document the amount of food you lost. Take a photo of your refrigerator or provide a grocery store receipt if you have it.
- You can’t request more than the amount of benefits you get in one month.
What should I do with waste from the storm?
Cleveland will continue its regular garbage pick up this week. It will not issue any citations for garbage outside of cans.
On the curb you can set out:
- Debris from any flooding
- Fallen trees branches or cut up trees
- Spoiled food in your black garbage cart on your normal trash day
The city will send extra crews out on Aug. 10 to collect additional waste.
Public Works Director Frank Williams asked for patience and said crews may need to take several passes to pick up all the trash. “Don’t fret, we are coming back,” he told City Council members in an email.
If you have a truck, and tree branches to get rid of, take them to any of the eight Kurtz Bros. locations. The closest one to Cleveland is 5915 Canal Rd. in Valley View.
Signal Cleveland staff members Jeff Haynes, Mary Ellen Huesken, Dakotah Kennedy, Stephanie Casanova, Doug Breehl-Pitorak and Najee Hall contributed to this list.
