Storm Shuts Down Ohio Nuclear Plant 


 OAK HARBOR, Ohio (AP) — A fast-moving storm slammed into northern
 Ohio, forcing a nuclear power plant to shut down, damaging buildings and
 injuring 14 people. 

 National Weather Service forecasters said a tornado hit late Wednesday near
 the Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Oak Harbor, about 25 miles east of
 Toledo. Workers spotted a funnel cloud near the plant cooling tower. The
 plant shut down automatically when the storm severed transmission lines
 between it and another plant in Pennsylvania, said Chuck Krueger, spokesman
 for Toledo Edison, which operates Davis-Besse. 

 Plant officials said the idled reactor was safe and an inspection was under
 way to determine damage. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it was
 sending a team of specialists to help with the inspection. 

 Davis-Besse was still shut down today, said Ruth Dyke, spokeswoman for the
 Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency. 

 Emergency officials, which received tallies from the hospitals, today put the
 number of injured at 14. One of them was in critical condition. Early news
 reports had said at least 30 people were taken to hospitals. 

 The storm blew off roofs and knocked down barns, trees and utility poles. 

 ``It's one huge storm, the size of a county,'' said Ryan Sandler, a National
 Weather Service meteorologist. He said the storm appeared to weaken as it
 moved southeast from the hardest-hit areas.