3 inches of rain overnight causes widespread flooding

MANSFIELD - Nearly three inches of rain fell Saturday night upon North Central Ohio, flooding basements, closing roads and leaving residents of Bellville and Shelby watchful of their rivers' depths.

More rain is forecast through the early portion of the week, with many areas expected to receive nearly another inch of rain in two days, according to Raelene Campbell, a meteorologist in the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.

A flood watch is in effect for Crawford, Richland and Ashland counties until Tuesday night.

"With the soil being so saturated already, it won’t take much to get things flooded again," Campbell said. "Any water that falls is tending to just sit on top, so flooding definitely remains a concern."

Several roads throughout Richland County were partially covered with high water Sunday afternoon, according to Rick Evans, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency.

Two vehicles were still trapped Sunday afternoon by high water on Ohio 13 under the U.S. 30 underpass. Evans said nobody was reported injured. Ohio 13 remained closed Sunday, as the water was still several feet deep.

The railroad underpass of Park Avenue East at the Ohio 42 intersection was flooded Sunday morning, but Evans said that road was drained and reopened by Sunday afternoon.

"Just the typical flooding we get in the typical places," Evans said.

The Clear Fork River rose high Sunday morning where it went under Ohio 13 in Bellville.

"Water did get over the bridge there," Evans said. "It’s back down in the banks now."

The Black Fork in Shelby also tested the upper level of its banks after the storm.

"We had some water on the football field and low-lying areas," Shelby Fire Chief Mike Thompson said. "It kept in its banks, but barely. It was close."

Thompson said his firefighters are keeping a watchful eye on the river, which is in clear view of their new fire station.

"We have plans for floods," Thompson said. "Unfortunately, we have experience at it, so that’s part of our standard operating procedure."

Although no major damage was reported in Crawford County, the high level of saturation should leave everyone cautious over the next several days, according to Kirk Williamson, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency.

"There’s going to be stuff popping up all over the place in the next day or two," Williamson said. "Everything we’re getting now is amplified because of the saturation — there’s nowhere for the water to go."

The list of roads partially covered by high water continues to change as rain showers continue and the soil remains saturated.

Williamson said motorists should never drive through standing water, as they can't be sure how deep the water is, or how quickly the current could be moving under the surface.

"Our big slogan is turn around, don’t drown," Williamson said. "We don’t want people driving in high water, because they can be swept away pretty easily."

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