EMA chief stands watch on rain

A disaster official checks the weather from the sky to the ground.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Jay Carter, director of the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, was getting ready for more rain.
He outlined his precautionary measures Wednesday as up to 4 more inches were predicted.
His to-do list included calling the East Liverpool and Wellsville fire departments to advise them to watch out for flooding along the Ohio River.
All that rain, said Carter, has to go someplace.
As he talked, the weather computer in his office dinged an alert. The National Weather Service had just issued a flood watch for the Ohio River through Saturday.
The computer showed a satellite view of heavy rain slowly moving from the south toward the county.
Different situation
But Carter believed that though more rain could create problems, he faced a different situation from the 7.2 inches of rain Aug. 27-28.
"We want to work very carefully," Carter said.
The August flooding caused an estimated $10 million worth of flash flood damage in the county. Some 500 individuals have filed damage claims.
The flooding was caused by rain that was in one area of the central portion of the county. The new rain was spread across the county.
Carter said he would activate Skywarn, a network of radio buffs who serve as weather spotters. Many of them also have rain gauges, which can tell Carter exactly how much rain is falling, and where.
Some fixes made
Since the last floods, several problems have been eliminated. Carter said many of the creeks have been cleaned of flood debris to ease water runoff.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has also drained much of the water from a church camp lake near Lisbon. A portion of the dirt dam had washed away in August, sparking fears the dam would collapse.
Carter said he wants people to be aware of the weather. In case of flooding, Carter said, "We want people to get to high ground and get away from it."
Gov. Bob Taft has declared an emergency in the county. Carter said he expected the Federal Emergency Management Agency would soon do the same. That would be a step in making the county eligible for federal disaster relief funds.
If there is additional storm damage, Carter believed the governor's last proclamation would provide for additional help.
As a precaution, the county still has 24 skids of bottled water left from the supplies the state sent when August flooding knocked out water service in Lisbon.
wilkinson@vindy.com