By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DEERFIELD TWP. - Cleanup crews and Kings school bus drivers hustled throughout the weekend to repair shattered windows and sweep up debris, but it was not enough to get the buses back on roads today.
Superintendent Chuck Mason decided late Sunday to cancel today's classes for the district's 3,800 students because not all of the 52 buses were operational. The fleet, as well as the south end of the junior high school on Columbia Road, were among the hardest hit areas of Warren County in Saturday morning's fierce but fast-moving storm.
"The building's not the problem, it's the buses," district spokeswoman Beth Wagner said. "If we aren't rolling buses, we aren't having school."
Only maintenance, custodial and technology staffs are required to report to work today. Some activities are canceled, but others, like the eighth-grade trip to Washington, will take place.
Cleanup continued elsewhere in the county as well Sunday. Some places - including Group Health Associates' medical office in Mason - will take months before they are fully operational.
By Sunday afternoon, all residents displaced by downed trees and damage from winds estimated at 80 mph had returned home, according to George Long, a team leader with the Greater Cincinnati chapter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross will be following up with families in case they need further assistance.
Damage throughout Warren County is estimated between $1.5 million and $2 million, Deerfield Fire Chief Bill Kramer said Sunday.
Roughly $300,000 of that is at Kings schools. Crews were replacing more than a dozen broken windows at the junior high and putting a temporary waterproofing on the torn roof. Additional work to the maintenance and transportation offices still needs to be done.
Employees from Mel's Auto Glass in Sharonville and volunteers replaced more than 60 windshield panes, but still are working on the smaller side windows.
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E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com
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