Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Days of heavy rain have dropped up to 7 inches on the mid-Ohio Valley, closing roads and forcing water rescues along the Ohio and West Virginia border.
Heavy thunderstorms have stalled over the mid-Ohio Valley since Tuesday, dropping as much as 7 inches of rain along the Ohio and West Virginia border and pushing creeks and small rivers over their banks. By the morning of Thursday, September 10, the National Weather Service had flood and flash flood warnings posted for Gallia, Jackson, and Meigs counties in Ohio and for Jackson and Mason counties in West Virginia, with more rain still in the forecast.
The water rose fast in the river towns along the Ohio. Point Pleasant, Gallipolis, Middleport, and New Haven reported flooded roadways, and rescue crews pulled multiple drivers from stranded vehicles. Many roads stayed closed through the day, and the rainfall total is expected to climb as more storms move across the region.
Flash floods turn a familiar street into a hazard within minutes, which is why the depth of water on a road is so easy to misjudge from behind the wheel. A little planning before the next warning keeps an ordinary drive from becoming a rescue. Working through flood readiness ahead of time covers the supplies and the household plan that matter most before the water rises.
When water is already moving, the safer choice is almost always to wait it out on high ground than to drive into it. The steps for acting fast in a flood cover what to do when minutes count, and a stack of sandbags can give a low-lying home real protection once a warning posts.
River levels along the Ohio were still climbing as of Thursday, and forecasters expect the flood threat to last into the weekend. Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the country, so check whether your own street sits among the cities most at risk of floods before the next storm lines up.
