Businesses Flooded, City Of Norwalk Under Water

From Ohio News Now:

NORWALK, Ohio -- Strong storms raced across northern Ohio, dumping heavy rain, toppling trees and flooding roads and basements.

Up to 8 inches of rain fell in Huron, Erie, Ottowa and Lucas counties overnight, Power of 5 meteorologist Susanne Horgan reported.

Officials told NewsChannel5 that about 50 to 60 percent of the Erie County is under water.

Most of Huron County is also flooded. The city of Norwalk took the biggest hit.

State Route 250 in the middle of town is under water. Water Street just off Route 250 and the adjacent railroad tracks are flooded, along with the Northern Bridge on Ridge Road.

The Huron County Sheriff's Department and Emergency Management Agency was hit by lightning during the storm.

Several business and cars were flooded. Traffic in the area is at a standstill.

EMA officials said parts of Ottawa County west of Port Clinton are under water, along with the fields near the Sandusky Bay Bridge.

Flood watches and warnings are in effect for northern Ohio.

Copyright 2006 by WEWS.

This story has a slideshow attached to it, showing some of the flooding:

Parts Of Ohio Flooded After Storms

NORWALK, Ohio -- Parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania were a soggy mess of flooded basements, downed trees, flooded roads and flooded basements Thursday after powerful storms blew through overnight.

Toledo, Ohio, wound up with 5 inches of rain in just five hours. About an hour away, the city of Norwalk, Ohio, was split in two by floods. Up to 800 homes were flooded from Norwalk to London, Ohio, according to WEWS-TV in Cleveland.

Midway between Toledo and Norwalk, a hospital lobby was flooded. Both cities had to send rescue workers out -- sometimes in boats -- to rescue stranded residents.

Up to 8 inches of rain fell in Huron, Erie, Ottawa and Lucas counties, according to WEWS-TV meteorologists. Flood warnings continued Thursday across the region.

In addition, most of Huron County, Ohio, is flooded. Huron County commissioners and Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch declared a state of emergency.

Nearby Medina, Lorain and Wayne counties have offered aid, WEWS-TV reported.

Lesch called the flooding in Norwalk the worst since a dam broke there in 1969. Floodwaters reached as high as the top of playground equipment in parts of the city, and an estimated 20 homes were evacuated.

Several business and cars were also flooded. Traffic in Norwalk was at a standstill, and only rooftops could be seen sticking out of the water in some places (see slideshow, above).

No injuries were reported, but firefighters and police were battling fatigue after working around the clock, Lesch told WEWS-TV. Sewer backup was also causing health concerns, the station reported.

My Comments:
We were lucky. No flooding in our neighborhood, apart from some water that came in under the basement door and seeped in through the basement walls. But nothing that won't evaporate in a couple of days.

However, just a couple of blocks away, the park where our children play is completely submerged, as are some of the businesses in parts of downtown.