Logan County saw its worst flooding in 100 years in the year 2019.
Two major floods hit areas throughout Logan County during the months of May and June.
In May West Liberty and DeGraff experienced rainfall in excess of five inches in some areas, closing roads and schools, flooding homes and stranding motorists, displacing residents and washing away bridges.
Flash flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service followed strong overnight thunderstorms.
High water and flooding left in the wake of those storms hampered morning commutes, and prompted closures of Indian Lake, West Liberty-Salem and Riverside local schools.
Bellefontaine Wastewater Treatment Plant reported a total of 3.79 inches of rainfall.
A number of village streets in West Liberty were closed because of high water. The Mad River overtook its banks, resulting in extensive flooding in that area and Lions Park and along the north edge of the village.
Numerous locations of high water were reported in and around DeGraff and Quincy, as well as around Indian Lake.
The following roads were closed: County Road 31, north of County Road 13; Township Road 46, south of State Route 47; Township Road 43 at County Road 11; Township Road 200 east of the railroad tracks; county roads 153 and 277; and State Route 720 near U.S. Route 33.
In addition, one county bridge was also destroyed in the torrential downpou.
Todd Bumgardner with the Logan County Engineer’s Office said a bridge in the 6000 block of County Road 28 was to be replaced after its abutments and bridge deck were nearly washed away by flash flooding.
Nearby, road approaches to a bridge on Monroe Township Road 164 were washed out and also were to be replaced, while a doublebarrel culvert on Monroe Township Road 163 needed attention, too.
The Logan County Emergency Management Agency evaluated the four corners of the county, compiling damage assessments.
In June there was once again widespread flash flooding that pushed local first responder agencies to their limits, once again stranding motorists, and displacing residents including a handful of patients at Mary Rutan Hospital where flooding there caused the temporary closure of the emergency department.
Bellefontaine Wastewater Treatment plant reported about 3.12 inches of rain fell June 19 — seemingly all at once.
Bellefontaine First Church of God, 1000 E. Brown Ave., opened a temporary shelter when the need became apparent.
Flash floods became a veritable life-or-death situation when high water flooded out squad and pedestrian entrances to Mary Rutan Hospital’s emergency department, and standing water began to collect in the lobby.
Within 17 minutes, the water level was at three inches and a call was made through the local emergency systems asking for help, and help came quickly and in droves.
Bellefontaine firefighters were quick to respond and set up temporary dikes to keep rising storm water outside the entrance doors. The water level hit three feet outside before subsiding.
Doors were sealed using tarps and cribbing. Hoses were utilized to pump water from the lobby and emergency department entrance, and sand bags were placed to help fend off rising waters.
As many as 100 people also responded to help clean up, including 14 Logan County Jail inmates.
Deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office transported those jail inmates to the hospital to assist with water removal.
Law enforcement worked alongside inmates to squeegee water from the emergency department, as hospital staff continued to go about the business of caring for patients.
Elsewhere in the city, neighborhoods in the south of west Chillicothe Avenue were hit hard by flooding as were residences in the area of Ludlow Road and Washington Avenue, Spring Avenue and Madriver streets and along Michigan Street, which borders a 10-million gallon retention pond.
Pumps at the pond were knocked out when the electrical panel became submerged in water and city crews used a frontend loader to carry a generator to the pumps. It was wired to the pumps, but water inflow remained greater than the pumps’ capacities to send the water downstream.
LeVan’s Excavating Inc. worked with the city to put in 500 feet of a temporary dike system.
Russells Point Mayor Robin Reames said damage to homes there was limited as many residents of commonly affected flood areas have grown accustomed to such situations and have developed plans to deal with high water.
EMA Director Helen Norris said the event exposed difficulties in establishing emergency shelters. There is no local American Red Cross chapter, she said, which she relied on in the past to help set up shelters. Instead, the Red Cross now sets up shelters for multi-county areas and decided Jackson Center schools was the best location for a three-county area, including Logan County.
Several temporary road closures were reported, and Troy Road sustained asphalt damage that was repaired the following morning.
A crew from West Liberty Fire Department came to Bellefontaine to provide response assistance.
State Route 117 was closed in both directions between the U.S. Route 33 exit and State Route 274. Fire and EMS crews also blocked off the S.R. 117 exit at U.S. 33.