High water closes part of River Road

Driver rescued from disabled vehicle on flooded roadway

Water reaches the middle of the sign in Side Cut Park flooding the entire area.

The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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Water washes over West River Road in Side Cut metropark. The road is closed because of flooding.

Water reaches the middle of the sign in Side Cut Park flooding the entire area.

Firefighters rescued a Waterville Township man this morning from a car disabled by high water from the Maumee River on River Road in Monclova Township, authorities said.

Mohammed Ahmed, 76, was not injured, Maumee police said. Police did not cite Mr. Ahmed because he did not drive around any high water signs or barriers, police said.

Mr. Ahmed drove into water about 6:30 a.m. near Side Cut Park and was rescued by area firefighters, according to sheriff deputies. 

River Road was closed for high water from Jerome Road to Side Cut Park, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rescuers also had to help a juvenile on a bicycle at about 4:30 p.m. when he became trapped by flood water on the road. He was holding on to a stop sign, according to a Maumee police dispatcher.

The National Weather Service blamed the flooding on an ice jam downstream from the park, and issued a flood watch for the entire region because of the potential for ice jams on area rivers during upcoming days.

Flooding was reported in other parts of the region as well. Alternate U.S. 20 between Delta and Swanton has reopened after being closed for high water today, authorities said.

Authorities closed the road around 7:30 a.m. and reopened it around 2 p.m., according to the Ohio Highway Patrol’s post in Bowling Green said. Delta, which is in Fulton County, is about 30 miles southwest of Toledo.

Rain forecast for Friday and Saturday is expected to cause those rivers, already swollen by snowmelt runoff, to rise, which could cause their ice cover to break up rapidly and then jam at riverbends or other obstacles, the weather service said.

Ice jams can cause rivers to flood rapidly upstream of those locations, officials warned.