COLUMBUS – Columbus and its immediate surrounding communities were mostly spared from the worst of strong storms that rolled across Ohio overnight, but people in the southern part of the state were not so lucky.
The National Weather Service has placed central and southern Ohio under a Flash Flood Watch until Tuesday evening.
Jackson County was in a state of emergency after rapid rainfall Monday night into Tuesday morning dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain in the area, causing flash flooding and rendering many roads across the county as impassable, according to a report on WBNS 10-TV.
The National Weather Service says that evacuations are ongoing in the area, and that all people in Jackson should head for high ground.
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Several major roads are closed due to flooding, including U.S. Route 35, which is closed at Moriah Road in Centerville, and State Route 788, closed at Fairgreens Road.
Emergency crews rushed to help people put in danger by rising waters and several water rescues were reported in the Oak Hill area, the television station reported.
Many people are also waking up without power. According to AEP Ohio, more than 1,790 customers are without power.
Columbus firefighters were called out to rescue two people who had driven their car into a water-filled ditch on Behvelmeyer Road near New Albany.
The eastern suburbs of Columbus were deluged with between 2 and 3 inches of rain Sunday and flooding was reported overnight and Monday morning in Gahanna, Reynoldsburg, Pickerington and the Far East Side, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Port Columbus recorded 2.24 inches of rain on Sunday, the newspaper reported.
The city of Gahanna had so much standing water by Monday morning that it closed its municipal golf course and Creekside Park, Pizzurro Park, Shull Park and trails in Woodside Green and Academy parks.