REEDSVILLE — Meigs County Sheriff Robert Beegle said the path of the tornado touching down between Tuppers Plains and Reedsville Thursday night is clearly seen in the light of day.

So is the devestation the tornado caused to homes in Olive Township.

At least three Reedsville residents were injured and 25-30 homes were heavily damaged or destroyed, Beegle said, in an area between Tuppers Plains and Reedsville.

Just across the Ohio River, in Wood County, W.Va., a man died in Belleville.

Beegle and his deputies and other officials were on the scene Friday night, clearing roads, directing traffic, assisting in the restoration of services, and assessing damage. That work continued into the weekend.

The tornado system caused injuries and extensive property damage in Athens and The Plains before traveling to northern Olive Township in Meigs County. The storm hit areas of Tuppers Plains and followed Ohio 681 to Eden Ridge Road and Ohio 124. Extensive property damage has been reported to homes located at Sugar Camp on Ohio 124 before crossing the Ohio River to Belleville, W.Va.

Beegle said Scott Upton, a farmer on Eden Ridge Road near Reedsville, was injured when his pickup truck flipped over in the high winds. Dale and Bonnie Adams, also of Eden Ridge Road, were also injured. Mr. Adams was able to escape their mobile home but his wife was not, and became pinned in the trailer. She was later rescued, but both suffered injuries and all three were treated at a Parkersburg, W.Va., hospital.

American Electric Power and Alltell were restoring electricity and telephone service to the affected area on Friday, Beegle said. Eden Ridge Road was re-opened to traffic Friday morning, with the Olive Township Fire Department and Ohio Department of Transportation clearing debris from the roads affected.

Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Byer was also on the scene of the tornado’s path, assessing damage to property. Homes were destroyed, some moved from their foundations and others suffered extensive damage. Junior Barber found his truck in the living room of his house, which has been destroyed.

According to Beegle, some residents in the affected area had been calling to request emergency supplies, such as water. Byer said the Eden United Brethren in Christ Church on Ohio 124 is serving as an emergency center, where residents affected by the storm can apply for assistance and receive emergency relief. The American Red Cross was expected to arrive sometime Friday.

Staff members with the Department of Job and Family Services were assisting storm victims, and Gov. Ted Strickland was sending a representative to assess the damage.

Before the storm hit Reedsville, it hit Athens County neighborhoods hard. A mobile home park in The Plains was evacuated after a gas line rupture. Athens High School housed 40 students during the storm, and Johnson Road was closed for two hours before debris could be cleared. The Athens High School football stadium was destroyed by the storm.

The Autotech building on East State Street was leveled. Fifteen homes were destroyed in Nelsonville, and three people were treated for injuries. Six roads were closed in York Township. Altogether in Athens County, seven were treated for injuries and approximately 200 were in need of shelter on Thursday night.

Byer said no emergency shelter had been set up in Meigs County and that Red Cross would provide emergency shelter vouchers when they were needed.

At least as many homes sustained lighter damage as those destroyed or seriously damaged, Byer said.