Fast-rising water Tuesday morning engulfed streets and homes off Cooper Road in Northeast Columbus. Columbus firefighters sent rescue teams for more than 50 residents.
The National Weather Service reports the Columbus area received more than 3.5 inches of rain within 24 hours.
“Between 4 a.m. and probably 6:30 we had called for a few boats, couple rescue companies, engine companies, medics were standing by, and we evacuated or notified about 56 households of the rising water,” says Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin.
John Hermiller, who lives at the corner of Cooper and Stoneshead Court, says this was the third time the street had flooded this year.
“This is the worst I’ve seen it in the 21 years we’ve been here,” Hermiller says. “Like it was all the way to my mulch up here and up to the wheels on my car. That’s the worse we’ve ever seen it. Some people in the neighborhood said it’s getting closed to their second story. Like their garages are flooded.”
Hermiller’s neighbor, Dani Farrar, has lived on Stoneshead Court for 15 years.
“The water went in through our garage and then up to our lower level,” says Farrar. “We’re one of the lucky ones because we actually didn’t get, the finished part of our home didn’t get hit today.”
Farrar wonders why the problem appears to be worsening.
“We had a lot of Columbus utilities working here for months earlier in the spring,” Farrar says. “They were redoing lines, but I don't know if anything that they did affected what the flooding is doing now, because it's definitely worse than it was before."
More rain could still happen through Friday.
