3 area counties affected by floods

Families displaced in Findlay

4/13/2013
BY MIKE SIGOV
BLADE STAFF WRITER

FINDLAY — Flooding on Friday disrupted traffic in Hancock, Seneca, and Sandusky counties, and temporarily displaced several families in Findlay, authorities said.

In Hancock County, several main roads closed and more than a dozen smaller roads also were affected by high water largely brought up by the rain-swollen waters of the Blanchard River.

Throughout Hancock County, sections of State Rt. 568, county roads 75, 40, 45, and 7, and Marion Township Road 208 were closed Friday, according to the Hancock County Sheriff's Office. Between 15 and 20 smaller roads were closed throughout the county, a sheriff's dispatcher said.

Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik said the Blanchard River crested at 14.1 feet in the city Friday morning, causing major flooding downtown and in the southeastern part of the city. The river had receded to 13.99 feet late Friday, and a number of residents who had voluntarily evacuated their homes Thursday returned home late Friday, she said.

The American Red Cross of Hancock County reported it provided shelter Thursday night through late Friday to three families forced out of their homes by the flooding.

In Sandusky County, the Ohio Department of Transportation closed State Rt. 19 between State Rt. 523 and Leaser Road on Friday afternoon. It remained closed late Friday.

In Ottawa County, State Rt. 105 between U.S. 23 and State Rt. 582 remained closed late Friday.

A section of U.S. 224 in Seneca County was also closed, but reopened Friday.

Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting service based in State College, Pa., said the flooding was caused by between an inch and 1.5 inches of rain that fell in the area from Thursday night through Friday morning.

The flooding will likely continue through this evening when the Blanchard River is expected to fall below its 11-foot flood stage, the senior meteorologist said.