Rain has Columbiana agency on guard

A new restoration method quickly dried Salem's library.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- More rain has people watching and waiting.
Jay Carter, director of the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, said Friday that he was watching the weather forecasts.
The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch, predicting that two to three more inches of rain would fall from Thursday night until 4 p.m. today.
Carter noted that was a watch at the time, not a warning, for the flood-ravaged county.
Carter said he also was waiting for a disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Agency. The move would provide financial assistance to the owners of flood-damaged property.
The county was racked by heavy floods in late August and last week. Local officials hope the federal government will recognize the floods as one event instead of two for simplicity's sake.
"We've been expecting it," Carter said. "How they [FEMA] are going to handle the second is above my level."
Damage reports
The EMA has received about 700 reports of damage to private property. But that includes property that was damaged in August and in the second round of flooding 10 days later. EMA officials didn't have a breakdown on how many properties were damaged twice.
The EMA has estimated that the two recent floods caused about $10 million in damage. Flooding has affected homes, the Lisbon water plant, roads and bridges, and even the Greenway Bike Trail sustained about $150,000 in damage when rain washed the trail out in many places.
The Salem Public Library was damaged in flooding last year and in August. The library's lower level is partly below ground, and flooding last year caused an estimated $450,000 in damage.
George W.S. Hays, the library's director, said the August damage was estimated at $65,000 to $75,000. Both losses were insured.
Instead of about the two feet of water in the lower level last year, the library had about four inches of water in August, he said.
New pump
A new sump pump was installed last year to limit damage from future flooding. But it malfunctioned in the recent rains. Hays said he's trying to determine the cause.
Damage in August was limited to about 50 books, a door and some trim. The damage was less this time because Hays contacted Rapid Response Restoration of Canton.
As heavy rain fell Friday, Hays said he had checked the building and found it was dry.