SR 40 Closed (again)

I tried coming home today and found that at around 5:15pm SR 40 was closed just east of I-77. The odd thing is that it wasn't flooded over this morning. These flood events are wierd in that the water shifts over time and floods out areas that were clear just hours before, even with no rainfall. I'm not sure exactly why that is, but it does make it difficult to get around here in Guernsey County.

Pittsburgh, Wheeling, mudslides, flooding, etc

Around 9pm Friday night I was watching KDKA Channel 2 out of Pittsburgh. Apparently mudslides, flooding and saturated grounds have been making life in that area a living hell. Wheeling and Pittsburgh both received at least 8 inches of rain Thursday.

The situation is a little better here in Guernsey county, but not by much. Right now as of 6:30am Saturday morning, the major transportation arteries like I-70, I-77 and SR 209 and SR 40 are still open. However, numerous township and county roads are impassable due to flooding. Our local radio stations have announced that the main problem right now is motorists disregarding road closure signs and driving through flooded roadways.

From www.yourradioplace.com:

THE STATE PATROL REPORTED LAST NIGHT THAT ONE OF THEIR MAJOR HEADACHES WAS MOTORISTS DISREGARDING ROAD CLOSED SIGNS AND DRIVING THROUGH HIGH WATER. ONCE AGAIN, DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH HIGH WATER. FIRST OFF, IF THE ROAD IS CLOSED, IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE THROUGH HIGH WATER. AND SECOND, YOU ONLY NEED TO REMEMBER BACK TO LAST WEEK, AND THE DISASTEROUS RESULTS WHEN TWO DERWENT WOMEN WERE KILLED WHILE TRYING TO DRIVE THROUGH HIGH WATER.

Here we go again. . .

The remnants of Hurricane Ivan has been passing through eastern Ohio since about 4am this morning. Some have measured 6 to 8 inches in the Guernsey and Belmont counties since the rain started. This is in addition to the flooding we received last week due to the remnants of Hurricane Frances.

I haven't left the house today since I had to catch up on my sleep. I wouldn't have anyway, since there's no point in trying to add to the chaos by sightseeing.

I've been in contact with other ham radio operators here locally, and they've had some interesting reports. This is just a few of the problems we've been encountering:

- State Route 22 is flooded east of Cambridge near Grandview Rd

- Quaker City is "under 3 ft of water"

- Savage Rd in Adams Township taking on water

- Evacuations and rescues have been happening due to the rising flood waters

Sheriff: Drownings in Derwent did not have to happen

Drownings in Derwent did not have to happen
Greg Parks

Tuesday, September 14 2004
The Jeffersonian

Sheriff Mike McCauley is worried, and only a fool could fault him.

After all, death came to his county last weekend in the most inexplicable of contexts.

Against all reason, a motorist tried to drive through floodwaters.

The car washed away.

Two drowned.

McCauley said he can’t stress this enough:

Flash floods and automobiles do not mix.

Why people don’t get the message and continue to drive or walk into moving water perplexes the sheriff.

“I continue to hear people say it’s OK to drive through high water if you can still see the center line,” McCauley said. “But just a foot of fast-moving water can carry a car away.”

Today, Hurricane Ivan bears down on the Gulf Coast.

Sheriff McCauley knows from experience that flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms is a serious threat to life and property even way up here in the Midwest, hundreds of miles from the eye of the storm.

Guernsey County was brutally reminded of that truth last week when what was left of Hurricane Frances came calling with torrential rains.

“We’d been warned for two weeks,” the sheriff said. “People who live here ought to know this area is flood-prone and they should be prepared for power outages and road closings.”

He recommends the basics: Water, food and medicines for a few days and battery or generator power for when the electricity goes out.

McCauley and his deputies worked heroically during the height of the flood on search and rescue missions.

An airboat donated to the county by the local Eagles lodge proved to be a godsend.

Each year floods kill more people than hurricanes, tornadoes or lightning.

According to the National Weather Service, 80 percent of flooding deaths result when people drive or walk into moving water.

This behavior often results in outcomes so grim that the NWS and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes two years ago launched a program called “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

McCauley said that even though there have been remarkable advances in flood forecasts and warnings, these improvements mean nothing if people ignore them.

Time and again the sheriff sees people who had plenty of warning about the danger, but still drive around barriers into floodwaters.

Some of them ruin their cars.

Some of them die.

With Hurricane Ivan churning toward landfall, McCauley said he is worried about this weekend.

“Last week, the ground wasn’t saturated and look what happened,” he said. “Now the ground is saturated, which would make matters even worse. Plus, Frances packed heavy rain and not the powerful winds of Ivan. We could be looking at flooding and downed power lines.”

The sheriff said he’ll try to put his best face forward during the Guernsey County Fair this week, but he’ll be preoccupied with an eye and an ear on the weather forecast, praying that this time he’s crying wolf.

Officials: Parts of county still flooded, inaccessible

Officials: Parts of county still flooded, inaccessible
Rick Stillion

The Daily Jeffersonian 9/13/04

Guernsey County officials continued to assess damages over the weekend, but some regions were still inaccessible due to remaining flood waters.

“We worked throughout the weekend assessing damages, and we are getting things put together today to forward some of the information on to the state,” said Guernsey County EMA Director Gerry Beckner.

“But, there are still places in the county, especially in the north, we can’t get to because of the flood water. The damage assessments are far from complete, and it could take a week or two to know exactly how much damage is out there in the county.”

Officials continued to list damage assessments in excess of $1 million until all jurisdictions in the county can report.

“We have received assessments from some of the trustees and mayors, but there are still some that need to be completed,” said Beckner, who reports each village and township is responsible for gathering data from its jurisdiction.

Once all of the information is collected, Beckner said she will forward it to the State of Ohio for assistance in obtaining a federal declaration for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On Friday, Rep. Bob Ney, R-St. Clairsville, said he directly petitioned President Bush for a federal declaration that would allow southeastern Ohio counties to obtain federal assistance. As of today, Bush had not declared southeastern Ohio a federal disaster area, which would make the area eligible for aid.

“The people of Guernsey County have been hit with a lot to deal with, but they have been fantastic,” said Beckner. “As soon as we have information available regarding assistance, we will get it distributed via the newspaper and radio.”

Individuals wishing to report property damage are asked to call the Guernsey County EMA office at 432-9292.

Several roadways remain closed due to high water. Law enforcement agencies are warning motorists not to drive through flood waters.

Four deaths were reported as a result of the flooding, including two women killed when their vehicle floated off a flooded Route 313 Thursday. Their bodies were discovered Friday in the vehicle in a ditch along Route 313.

The women were identified as Lois Hastings, 41, and Gayla Norman, 43, of Walnut Street in Derwent. Other fatalities connected to the flooding included John McCance, 65, of Cambridge, and Leah Mast, 9, of Tuscarawas County.

As damage assessments and recovery efforts continue in the county, officials are keeping an eye on Hurricane Ivan - a potential second source of flood-causing rainfall due to hit the southern United States later this week.

“We are watching what it (Ivan) is doing,” said Beckner. “It is changing from minute to minute and there is a possibility it could hit here again. But, it is too early to tell right now.”

North First Street

This street runs by an industrial area in the west part of Cambridge adjacent to Wills Creek. The photos show an undeveloped area used by one of the factories. I think development on this end of the street has been light due to its flood potential.
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Water Street and State Route 209

The red brick building in the right hand side of the first photo is a warehouse. The gentleman cleaning up inside said the flood water reached a high point of 8 feet in the end of the building toward the road.
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The appropriately named Water Street saw flooding due to nearby Wills Creek. One person on this street was frustrated by repeated flooding problems over the years and asked about buyout options.
Water_St_9-11-2004
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Jefferson and Long Avenues

Also in Cambridge:

Water pooled in an area between Jefferson and Long Avenues. In one of the photos, a sign for Warden Salvage is visible. The owner suffered some damage to his salvage yard, and the homes in the area almost certainly suffered flooded out basements.

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Newspaper Clips

Here's a few clips of local newspaper coverage.

The Daily Jeffersonian:
9-9-2004_1A
9-9-2004_1
9-8-2004_1

The Columbus Dispatch:
9-10-2004

North Fourth Street

One of the most flooded streets in Cambridge was North Fourth. It seemed like every house on the street had major flooding in the basement. These homes had doors to the basements, which provided the floodwater all the opportunity it needed to rush in and cause damage.

Here's some photos I took of the area:

This house is flooded from all sides, making in impassable except by boat:
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In this photo you can see the water rushing out of the manhole cover back onto the street:
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Another view of the "island house"
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Surveying the Damage

On Thursday night (9-9-2004) I was asked to volunteer as a damage assessor for the Emergency Management Agency in Guernsey County. Waters were still quite high and many roads were still impassable as of Friday. Saturday several groups of EMA volunteers, myself among them, canvassed neighborhoods in Cambridge, Byesville, Derwent and Senecaville.

As part of the two-man crew to canvass Cambridge, we encountered a constant theme: flooded out basements. Sure, the water levels within them varied, from 2 to 10 feet of water. But along certain streets in the low parts of town next to Wills Creek, many houses had completely filled basements. Luckily, no one we talked to had water enter their first floor living quarters. As my partner and I moved through the affected areas, we asked residents to describe the nature of the damage. We also handed out business cards and made sure they knew that Guernsey EMA would try to assist them.

The Flood of 2004

Hello.

The remnants of Hurricane Frances swept through southeast Ohio, dropping up to 8 inches of rain during a 24 hour period from Tuesday September 7 to Wednesday September 8. Ironically, more flooding occurred that Thursday, as water shifted its way around Guernsey County looking for low spots to fill. Estimates of damage are not available as of yet, but thousands of people have been affected, from having their basements of residential areas flooded to the complete loss of businesses. This storm has also resulted in the deaths of 3 people in Guernsey County.

This blog will attempt to collect and catalog info related to this damaging and deadly Flood of 2004.