COLUMBUS – People in east Columbus, southern Franklin County, and parts of Fairfield County were surprised to see flash flooding on streets and roadways Sunday evening and Monday morning after a deluge swamped drainage systems.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Watch for Monday afternoon until 8:00 Tuesday evening.
Groveport police closed down Bixby Road (above) west of Hamilton Road Monday morning due to high water.
Water flooded an apartment complex on Chatford Drive near Brice Road and I-70, according to a report on WBNS 10-TV. The property manager told the television station that four feet of water approached one of the apartment buildings. One unit had wall damage from the water and started to collapse.
American Red Cross assisted 10 families at the complex as officials checked for any structure damage. Of the 10 families forced to leave during the issue, three of them needed alternate housing for the night. The others were allowed to return to their home once the building was deemed safe.
Particularly hard-hit was Gahanna which saw nearly 3 inches of rain fall in one hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Water covered the shoulder and some lanes of I-270 south of Broad Street.
The parking lot of Mt. Carmel East Hospital was “inundated” by water that reached halfway up the sides of some vehicles, the weather service said.
Columbus Police had to close Tussing Road between Brice Road and State Route 256 for several hours around 11:00 p.m. Sunday night because of water on the roadway.
One car was trapped on the side of the road when it tried to drive through the high water.
In Westerville, where 3.4 inches of rain fell in a few hours, water rose at Hamilton and Warner roads. Crews were called to the scene to unclog the storm drains around 2:30 a.m. Monday.
In Fairfield County, 8 inches of water flowed across Route 159 near Amanda Sunday night and 8 to 10 inches of swiftly moving water covered Palmer Road at I-70 in Pickerington just before 9:30 p.m., the weather service reported. Several feet of water covered Mulberry Street, in Lancaster, covering the hoods of cars.