Lucas, Wood counties begin mopping up from heavy rain but flood advisory remains

Cars fight their way through high water on Talmage Road between Monroe Street and Sylvania Avenue.

The Blade/Andy Morrison
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Ethan Rader, 5, of Perrysburg, fills his boots with water from heavy rains in the Brookhaven subdivision in Perrysburg.

Mopping up is underway in portions of the city of Perrysburg where some basements were swamped when heavy rain soaked the area today.

Radar estimates and rain gauges show that about five to six inches of rain has fallen already in the Perrysburg area, said National Weather Service meteorologist John Mayers.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Lucas and Wood counties until 3 p.m., and has shifted that to a flood advisory for heavy rain for both counties until 9 p.m.

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Numerous roads across Lucas and Wood counties remain closed, according to the National Weather Service, most notably in the Perrysburg, Haskins, Oregon, and Toledo areas.

Jeff and Amy Bobak of Perrysburg were having a security system installed earlier today when the worker putting in the alarm told the Bobaks their basement was taking in water.

"We went down there and within five minutes to 10 minutes there were six inches," Mr. Bobak said. They had furniture, electronics, a fridge, water heater, and carpet in the basement of the Village of Brookhaven home. The area is in the southern most part of the city of Perrysburg, off Five Point Road.

Cousino Harris Disaster Kleenup later went to their home, and was called to help out at other flooded homes in the Village of Brookhaven. Some Perrysburg residents in that neighborhood said flooding is a common problem during heavy rain.

Alice Godsey, director of public utilities, was out at Brookhaven Monday and said the city will study and analyze information to see if there is anything the city can do. She said the retention basin was made for a 25-year storm - intensity of rain water - and today's storm she said was much greater.

She also said around the middle of the day today the central area of the city had 3 inches of rainfall while the south part of town, where the neighborhood is, had about six inches.

Beth Larson said in the seven years she's lived in the newer subdivision her basement has flooded six times.

"I haven't finished my basement because of it," she said. "We have three sump pumps and it failed today. We have three inches [of water] in the basement."

She didn't call for professional clean-up crews, instead she used squeegees to sop up the water. She already protects her possessions in the basement by using plastic storage bins.

At a home nearby, Jim Rader was waiting for help to deal with the four to five inches of water on his basement drywall and furniture.

Mr. Rader thinks 80 percent of the 100 homes in the neighborhood were flooded. He said by about 2 p.m. several disaster relief companies were already telling callers they wouldn't be out until Tuesday.

"We're pumping all the water in the yard, the pump couldn't handle it," said Tommy Meeks, crew leader for Cousino Harris. "Needless to say we'll be busy all day."

Perrysburg‘‍s Deputy Fire Chief Wade Johnson said crews responded to a couple of fire alarms that went off, and firefighters had to walk to one site because of flooding in the streets. There was no emergency at the site to which the firefighters walked.

Chief Johnson earlier today said there was flooding near River Road as well as in the Roachton Road area east and west of State Rt. 25.

More showers and thunderstorms are possible later today, and that could cause additional flooding. Locations that could experience flooding include Bowling Green, Maumee, Holland, Northwood, Perrysburg, Rossford, Sylvania, Waterville, Weston, Whitehouse, and Toledo.

As of 2 p.m., 2.04 inches of rain had fallen at Toledo Express Airport.

The precipitation level for Toledo in July and early August, Mr. Mayers said, is well below the normal level. This is a bit odd, he said, considering Cleveland has experienced above normal precipitation levels during the same time period.

Cars fight their way through high water on Talmage Road between Monroe Street and Sylvania Avenue.

Heavy rain flooded some Toledo-area underpasses, slowing motorists and prompting some motorists to seek alternative routes.

In addition, portions of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, and Williams counties are under a flood warning until 5:30 p.m. today. Heavy rain has been falling over the warning areas, producing localized flooding.

Two to three inches of rain already has soaked the area with an additional one to two inches of rain likely later in the day. Communities that could experience flooding include Liberty Center, McClure, Napoleon, Colton, Gerald, Ridgeville Corners, Texas, Defiance, Ney, Brunersburg, Evansport, Independent, Jewell, Archbold, Delta, Wauseon, Brailey, and Pettisville.

Jennifer Young, a spokesman for FirstEnergy Corp., said earlier today about 1,200 people were without power in the Toledo area. Crews were sent to several locations to restore power.

In Maumee, lightning struck a transformer about 8:45 a.m. today at West Wayne Street and Ford Street, leaving many in the Maumee area without power, according to a Maumee police dispatcher.

Authorities say power was restored by 10 a.m.