November 10, 2002 - Fostoria

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Fostoria Tornado- Arcadia to Fostoria - F2 Damage

An F1 tornado touched down to the northeast of Arcadia in northeastern Hancock County. The initial touchdown occurred just south of State Route 12 and to the east of County Road 330. From this location the tornado moved northeast and strengthened to F2 intensity as it entered the southwest end of Fostoria. Two businesses were heavily damaged on the outskirts of Fostoria along State Route 12. One of the two, a fertilizer business, had two of it's four buildings completely leveled and the remaining two heavily damaged. A nearby gas storage facility had two large storage tanks damaged. Nearby, the tornado derailed two railroad cars near the West Tiffin Street crossing and toppled 19 high voltage transmission poles interrupting power for a large area. Extensive damage was done to neighborhoods on the southwest side of Fostoria with Jeannette Drive, Vickie Lane and West Tiffin Streets hardest hit. As the tornado neared downtown Fostoria it tore the roof off of a high school which allowed rain water to enter the building and damage all three floors. Total damage to the school was estimated to be well over $500,000. Just east of the school, the community hospital was hit and sustained over $1 million in damage. In Fostoria, eight homes were destroyed with nine more homes damaged enough to be declared uninhabitable. An additional 60 to 70 homes sustained minor damage with dozens of cars damaged in varying amounts. Hundreds of trees and power poles were downed along the damage path which was around 50 yards in width.

Fostoria Tornado - Fostoria to Amsden- F1 Damage

After lifting in downtown Fostoria (near the Hancock County border) the tornado touched down again on the northeastern edge of Fostoria. The tornado moved northeast from this location and damaged several homes before reaching the Fostoria Airport where a hanger and office building were damaged. From the airport, the tornado continued northeast across open farmland for a few miles and finally dissipated northwest of Amsden near the intersection of County Road 3 and Township Road 172. Several more homes and barns were damaged along the last half of the tornado track. Many cars were also damaged and hundreds of trees and power poles toppled. The damage path from this tornado in Seneca County was roughly five and a half miles in length and around 25 yards in width.

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