More rain in the Mahoning Valley’s forecast

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley isn’t getting much of a break from the rain that has caused flooding before the next potential downpour hits as early as late morning.

“The wet weather will continue into Thursday afternoon,” said Dennis Bray, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland. “Depending on where the front sets up, one place can get an inch and another can get one-tenth of an inch.”

That’s not good news, particularly in Trumbull County, which has experienced heavy rainfall and flooding.

Between Friday and Monday, 4.09 inches of rain fell at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna. The area usually gets 3.79 inches of rain for all of June.

It’s expected to be dry and sunny Friday.

But potentially heavy rainfall is possible this weekend and into the middle of next week, Bray said.

Jess Briganti, weather anchor for “WFMJ Today” on 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner, said the rain shouldn’t be heavy today, but will be more steady Thursday.

“We’re talking about very saturated ground, so if we get rain, it could be a problem,” she said. “Anything that brings downpours can be problematic. If Warren gets another half-inch, that could be a problem. But we’re not looking for major widespread flooding.”

AccuWeather reports moisture from Tropical Storm Bill will enhance rainfall across part of the Midwest by Friday and some of the Northeast on Saturday, leading to localized flood concerns. In a significant part of the Ohio Valley, 3 to 6 inches is forecast with locally higher amounts.

Flooding

The Mahoning River at Leavittsburg reached 11.6 feet Tuesday, about 2 feet above flood stage.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office announced that Countyline Donley Road in Bloomfield and Mesopotamia townships between state Route 534 and Bloomfield Geneva Road is closed due to flooding.

The recommended detour is southeast on Bloomfield Geneva Road, west on state Route 87, and north on state Route 534.

Heavy rains led to flooding on the lower level of buildings and in the streets in portions of Trumbull County.

The domestic-violence shelter Someplace Safe in Warren had its basement flood twice in the past few days.

Personnel at the Tod Avenue Northwest facility cleaned up Sunday night’s floodwaters on their own, but when it hit again Monday night, director Bonnie Wilson called in professionals.

On Tuesday, workers from National Fire and Water Repair were getting rid of the water and taking out damaged items.

The water eventually reached 5 inches – high enough to soak the bottom of some of the shelving units that hold linens, towels, toys and toiletries. Staff members had to throw out cribs, mattresses, car seats, toys and other items, Wilson said.

One of Wilson’s biggest concerns Tuesday was whether the floodwaters will return, so she’s looking into backup plans that can be implemented if the facility has to evacuate.

Paul Clouser, president of National Fire and Water Repair, said the “torrential” nature of the recent storms is what’s apparently leading to trouble in the Youngstown and Warren areas.

too much too fast

“The biggest issue is it’s too much, too fast,” Clouser said. “It overwhelms the sump pumps and drain systems.”

Clouser said a large percentage of calls he got for flooded basements last week came from the Youngstown-Canfield-Poland areas, but the focus shifted early this week to the Warren area.

One or two blocked storm drains around the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant at the Eastwood Mall Complex in Niles caused flooding in the restaurant during a hard rain Monday afternoon, closing the restaurant about 5:30 p.m. It remained closed Tuesday as the cleanup progressed, mall officials said.

One storm drain at the back of the restaurant was plugged, leading to an accumulation of water in that area, said Joe Bell, spokesman for the Cafaro Co., owners of the mall complex.

One car got trapped in high water on an access road beside the restaurant.

Otherwise, the mall complex has been free of water-related problems, Bell said.

Numerous motorists experienced difficulty traveling between Niles and Warren on Niles-Warren River Road, also known as Pine Avenue Southeast, with the Warren Fire Department being called out three times Monday to rescue people trapped in their cars there.

A section of the road alongside of the former RG steel mill at the south end of Warren floods every year, Fire Chief Ken Nussle said.

Water rescues

Firefighters rescued a woman from her car at 11 a.m. Monday, then were called back after a 4 p.m. storm dumped more water. Firefighters found three vehicles in the water that time, but no people. They were called back out at 4:30 p.m. and took two people from the scene to a nearby gas station to get help.

“Every year we go through Pine Street because it’s so low,” Nussle said.

Eric Luketic, supervisor with Trumbull County 911, said the center had taken calls since 6 p.m. Monday for high water in the streets or basements five times in Howland, four times in Liberty, three times in Hubbard and Hubbard Township, three times in McDonald, two times in Bazetta Township and one time each in the townships of Braceville, Southington and Vienna.

In Mahoning County, Mike Dockry, Austintown Township administrator and road superintendent, said crews had been using an old street sweeper to clear out catch basins. “I think we’ve probably been luckier than some communities. We’ve had only a handful of cases of yard flooding over the last few days,” he said.

Boardman officials also are concerned. “As long as the water keeps moving and nothing gets backed up – and we have some good, dry sunshine – hopefully we can weather the next storm front,” Administrator Jason Loree said. “But if it’s a nasty one, we’re all going to be on high alert.”

Although there were no reports of flooding from residents as of late Tuesday afternoon, township workers prepared for the weather by checking retention systems and clearing out catch basins around the township, Loree said.

Areas surrounding Boardman Lake, Tara and Alverne drives, and Oregon and Salinas trails are some that have had flooding issues in the past, he noted. The Boardman Lake area got an improved retention system recently, he said, which seemed to be working well as of Tuesday.

In Poland, township road crews soon will have an added tool at their disposal to deal with water issues: a new industrial sump pump and hoses, the purchase of which township trustees approved last month.

“I think the systems that are in place can handle the rain,” Administrator James Scharville said.

still cleaning up

“It was a small gust of wind and we heard a crack,” said Patricia Ruby, 63, of Austintown. That gust of wind late Tuesday morning led to an estimated 80-foot-tall oak tree falling into a family boat, digging into the garage roof and wall, and possibly totaling two of three cars parked in the driveway.

Ruby was in front of her house, 5045 New Road, with her two grandchildren when they heard the crack of the tree. “Boats and trucks can be replaced. Thank God no one was hurt,” she said.

Her backyard was soggy, and she said she and her husband, John, pick up fallen sticks in the yard after storms, but they weren’t expecting one of the tall trees dotting the neighborhood to crash through their home.

For the city of Canfield, there is more work to be done for picking up fallen limbs and brush from last week’s storms than for the rain that has been falling this week.

“We’re still recouping from the wind damage we received last week,” said Joe Warino, city manager. He said some piles to be picked up on Blueberry Hill, which suffered damaged in the 2014 EF-1 tornado and last week’s windstorm, are 5 to 6 feet high.

Areas such as Blueberry Hill Drive “were hit pretty hard again, and then when you get to the other area of [U.S. Route] 224, there’s nothing,” he said.

Flooding tends to plague the city of Girard, but Jerry Lambert, director of public services, characterized Monday’s flooding as practically nonexistent. “We had so very few calls about flooding, and they were addressed at the time,” he said.

Jennifer Myers-Cooley of Austintown, who owns a rental property on Washington Avenue in Girard, is less cheery about Monday night’s rainfall. Myers-Cooley said at its worst point, the storm flooded the basement with 48 inches of water. She said her husband was up cleaning the basement until 2 a.m., but that the flooding was tame compared to years past. The worst storms, she said, occurred last year and left 4 feet of water in the basement and forced her to replace the furnace, air conditioner and hot-water tank.

She expressed dissatisfaction with the city’s response in the past: “They basically say that we’re downhill and that’s the way it is.”

George Brumbaugh, who called the city about flooding in the basement of his Patricia Drive home, said Girard was “as cooperative as possible under the circumstances.” Brumbaugh, who’s lived on Patricia Drive since 1991, said that though the flooding was the worst he’s seen this summer, it was minimal compared to years past.

The local Lake to River Red Cross Chapter, which in general provides food, clothing and shelter during disaster emergencies, had not deployed volunteers to open shelters for people displaced by the flooding.

Debbie Chitester, Red Cross disaster-program manager, said there are chapter volunteers who can be called upon and also help from the entire Northeast Ohio Region if things get worse. In the last few days, the local Red Cross has assisted some families in the Champion area and given people information about how to clean up their homes damaged by floodwaters.

“Make sure things are dry. Use dehumidifiers and fans and take out anything that can hold water, such as rugs, and clean up with bleach-water solution,” Chitester said.

“When it’s possible, we encourage displaced people to stay with friends and family. It is more comfortable,” said Karen Conklin, executive director of the Lake to River Red Cross Chapter.