There were law enforcement officers directing traffic around Route 8 and Locust Hill, where most of the damage could be openly observed.

Multiple utility trucks from Mon Power, Mountaineer Gas and Frontier Communications traversed the area, where disaster relief surveyed the extent of the damage after 10 a.m.

Before the tornado struck around 1 a.m., National Weather Service radar had picked up on it on the ground just west of Irondale, Ohio, before proceeding to the Fairhaven, W.Va., neighborhood.

Officials have confirmed two homes have been completely destroyed at 157 International Drive, where one house was stripped off its road and a second completely eradicated with a wide spread debris field surrounding the site.

Jeremy Ober, director of the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency, agreed that the damage to the area between Orchard and Locust Hill roads is “substantial,” but personnel spent Wednesday trying to piece it all together.

A wooded area preceding Locust Hill and Route 8 is riddled with snapped trees. An auto shop on the other side of Route 8 a few blocks down had contained classic cars and didn’t survive its run-in with the funnel cloud.

Fairhaven, as the unincorporated neighborhood near Tomlinson Run State Park, has become known for its green rolling hills between businesses like Hilltop, which has one of the nation’s last operational drive-thru theaters, and Valley View Superette — neither of which appeared to suffer damage as a result of the tornado.

That particular stretch of Route 8, which is known as Veterans Boulevard, is one of the county’s busiest highways, and the disaster compounded that between emergency personnel and the rubberneckers.

Later Wednesday, NWS officials announced that the tornado that impacted Fairhaven was an EF- 2 and was the same funnel cloud that had touched down earlier in Irondale.

After touching down in Fairhaven, the tornado lifted off again and crossed one mile down the road into Pennsylvania, where its presence resulted in warnings for Allegheny and Beaver counties.

While Pennsylvania had two EF-1 tornadoes of its own in Ligonier and Findlay townships, NWS officials announced the Fairhaven tornado was a little stronger.

EF stands for Enhanced Fujita scale when measuring wind strength of tornadoes, evaluating the wind speeds based on the damage left behind.

Officials decided the Fairhaven funnel cloud was a little stronger (EF-2) and reached winds near 130 mph.

Ober explained that cleanup is ongoing in the Fairhaven area, and plenty of assistance has been offered.

State EMA officials have been in touch to offer assistance. The American Red Cross has “boots on the ground” as do the utility companies, which have been “out in force, getting area residents’ electric, gas and telecommunications restored.

“I have been really impressed,” he said of all the public and private entities offering support. “This is an ongoing cleanup.”

Except for one injury during the rescue, where a woman was transported as a precaution to East Liverpool City Hospital, no other casualties — even to livestock — has been reported.

***

HOW TO HELP?

— The New Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department opened its doors as a donation center for those affected by these storms. They ask that donors bring food, clothing and monetary contributions to their station, 301 N. Chester St., for distribution to victims.

— Thursday night, the Brooke-Hancock Family Support Network and their local family centers held a free community dinner for all those impacted by the storm, including volunteers and first responders at the New Manchester Volunteer Fire Department. For information about any possible resources courtesy of the network, call 304-748-7850 ext. 1014.

— Pat McGeehan, who represents District 1 (Hancock County) in West Virginia’s House of Delegates, asked area residents who may have direct reports or information of bodily harm or property damage to call him at 304-374-7018.

— The National Weather Services reminds interested parties about their SKYWARN class at 6:30 p.m. today in the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center. They urge attendees to come out and attend for education about severe weather.