The National Weather Service in Wilmington has confirmed that powerful straight-line winds reaching 70 to 80 miles per hour caused the damage seen across the Benjamin Logan Local Schools campus and surrounding areas during Tuesday night’s storms.
According to a damage survey conducted following the April 14 event, the strongest impacts were centered near the school property along State Route 47 in Logan County.
Crews found minor tree damage across campus, along with roof damage to a flat section of one school building.
Several light poles, including those at the football stadium, were bent or broken.
Small outbuildings near the athletic complex were also displaced, including one that had been anchored to a concrete slab.
East of the stadium, a school bus was overturned, with additional tree damage noted nearby.
At the district’s Land Lab, two outbuildings suffered structural damage, including partial loss of sheet metal roofing.
Debris from those buildings was scattered across adjacent fields and into nearby woods, where several hardwood trees were snapped near their bases.
Damage continued east along State Route 47 toward County Road 12, where more snapped trees and minor property damage—including siding and garage door impacts—were reported.
Additional tree damage and an outbuilding with roof and siding damage were also observed on the opposite side of County Road 12.
Helen Norris, Logan County EMA, talks about the day and assessing the damage:
The National Weather Service credited assistance from the Logan County Emergency Management Agency, Benjamin Logan school officials, and the Bokescreek Township Fire Department in completing the survey.
Officials note the findings are preliminary and may be updated following further review and inclusion in official storm data reports.
