Many schools and roads were closed in eastern Ohio yesterday after remnants of Hurricane Frances dumped up to seven inches of rain, forcing evacuations and contributing to at least two deaths.
Officials reported that the rain was tapering off and some flood waters were beginning to recede as the storms moved northeast. However, rivers were expected to continue to swell because of runoff, and flood warnings were extended into yesterday afternoon.
A lot of it has moved out fairly early this morning
said meteorological technician Brian Mitchell of the National Weather Service. It's going to taper down to about a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain.
A 9-year-old Amish girl drowned after a rain-swollen stream swept her off a footbridge as she walked home from school in Tuscarawas County Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Walt Wilson said. Leah E. Mast was pronounced dead at a hospital in neighboring Guernsey County.
The accidental drowning was directly related to the flooding, Guernsey County Coroner Janet Brockwell said. Five siblings who were with Mast were not injured.
The floods also contributed to an apparent heart attack in a 65-year-old man helping his landlord pump water out of a basement in Cambridge, Brockwell said. John McCance, who had no history of heart problems, was found dead by the landlord after she left him alone for about 30 minutes.
It was one of those things where the stress of using the pump and helping the person clear the basement was enough to precipitate a heart attack Brockwell said.
Southeast Ohio received 3 to 7 inches of rain on Wednesday, said Pat Herald, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
County Commissioners in Belmont, Guernsey, Perry, Morgan and Columbiana counties declared a state of emergency. There were no state declarations yet.
As many as 350 homes were evacuated in Belmont County on Wednesday night, said Brad Johnston, the county's emergency management operations chief.
Chest-deep water filled some homes and businesses in New Lexington, in Perry County, where nine homes had been evacuated Tuesday night, said police Chief Jeffrey Newlon. Those families all went to stay with relatives, but shelters were opened in case others were displaced.
Rising waters washed away part of Ohio 37 just east of New Lexington.
In Tuscarawas County, the fire department asked the power company to turn off service to some homes. A few homes were evacuated in Dennison.
We've got some basements completely flooded over their power boxes eight feet of water
Uhrichsville fire Chief Jim Golec said.
High water forced the Ohio Department of Transportation to close a stretch of westbound Interstate 70 through Guernsey County around midnight. A different stretch of the eastbound lanes had been closed for about six hours Wednesday night.
The freeway reopened in both directions late yesterday morning.
Department spokeswoman Cindy Brown said such closures from flooding are rare.
Any time you close down an interstate
it's a big deal
she said. Several roads were closed yesterday morning in Tuscarawas and Carroll counties.
Some of them are going down. Some of them are coming up
said Carroll County sheriff's deputy Wayne Ferguson.
School was let out early in Noble County Wednesday, and four students were taken to shelters because buses couldn't get through high water, said county EMA Director Chasity Schmelzenbach.
Most of the 200 residents in the village of Belle Valley had left their homes, and people were also leaving Caldwell, Schmelzenbach said.
The areas that are being hit have seen flood water before
so there's not much forcing of these folks; they're just glad to get help
she said.
17
