High winds whipped through Scioto County briefly this morning but long enough to cause considerable property damange and power outages.

Minford appeared to be hardest hit by this morning's gusts which went through Scioto County about 7:40 a.m.  Erwin-Dodson Funeral Home on South Street in Minford lost a six-bay concrete block garage, along with a couple of cars parked inside, and Minford High School lost a section of the gym's roof.

"The whole building is just a pile of rubble," said William Dodson, owner of the funeral home.  "The whole thing went.  The wind came through at 7:30, and it then it was suddenly gone.  That building was pretty strong--we thought."

The 75-foot long garage was located across the street from the funeral home, and also housed a car and some merchandise stored by Frowine Hardware, next door to the funeral home.

"I really don't know yet how much damage was done.  The cars look totaled.  The concrete support beams fell on them."

At Minford High School, just southeast of the funeral home, the winds peeled back a 30-foot section of the gymnasium roof.  Glenn Franke, prinicpal, said the 7:40 a.m. bell had just rung when the winds hit.

"Everybody was in the school but no one was in the gym at the time.  You could hear it . . . It sounded like they were putting the bleachers back."

The 3-ply roof is constructed of asphalt, fiberglass, and tarpaper.  The wind took off a 3 x 30 foot section of perforated steel deck, torn from its welds by the winds.

The wind also took back a section of two-inch thick insulation.

Franke, Superintendent Bill Boyer, and head custodian Bert Clifford rolled back part of the metal roof until repairs could be made.

Minford was to have played its first home basketball game Friday night.  School officials said they weren't sure this morning where the game will be played.