Ravenna area residents drying out after another round of heavy flooding

As Portage County residents mop up from another round of storms that left their streets and basements flooded, the Portage County Emergency Management Agency is urging people to report their damage.

Meanwhile, city officials are assessing their systems to see if anything went wrong during Saturday's storms.

Brett Lee, deputy director of the Portage County Emergency Management Agency, said the county got 3.5 inches of rain during the storm, over a two- to three-hour period. The rainfall appeared to occur over a widespread area of the county, including Ravenna, Ravenna Township and Rootstown.

The storm left people stranded in their cars by high water and numerous homeowners with water in their basements. Many residents said it was similar to flash flooding on Aug. 3.

On the Facebook group Portage County and Neighbors, residents of West Park Estates trailer park had flooded for the second time in two weeks.

Mayor Frank Seman said he thought Saturday's storm was worse than the storm of Aug. 3. The storm hit other areas of the city, including his house, so he saw the rain fill his gutters. On Aug. 3, his street was not flooded.

On Aug. 3, emergency crews rescued only two motorists who had driven into flooded roads in Ravenna Township. On Saturday, Seman said, crews rescued 30 stranded motorists. Seman said motorists were already streets that then began to flood in a matter of seconds.

"It went from nothing to everything," he said. "It just went over Ravenna and it did not move."

While some of the flooding was rain water, other residents experienced sewer backups.

Seman said the city doesn't have "combined sewers." However, some residents illegally connected their storm systems to their wastewater systems during renovations, he acknowledged. However, even if they weren't combined, the flood water overwhelmed the sewers, both storm sewers and wastewater.

Some manhole covers came off in the streets because of the floodwaters, Seman said.

He said he and Service Director Tim Contant have been evaluating the city's systems, and found that everything is in working order. That, he said, means that they weren't plugged, just overwhelmed.

However, he said, the city is looking at long range plans, he said.

"We have to prepare for more severe weather," he said.

Lee said the EMA is asking resident to send their damages to their EMA's website, including photos. The EMA, he said, is working on an immediate survey of damage, which allows emergency managers to determine the extent of loss, suffering and harm to citizens and public infrastructure.

Damage also can be reported in other ways:

Many angry residents said they didn't know roads were flooded until their vehicles suddenly stalled out. They shared videos of floodwaters, and photos showing water up to their porches. East Spruce Avenue resident Brittany Wulzen emailed photos of her family walking through the floodwaters, and of her son Benjamin rowing a kayak through the waters.

Her neighbor, Molly Brady, had heavy flooding fill the lower level of her split-level home, including her kitchen. On Monday, she said the water had receded and her family is assessing the damage. They have lived in the house for nine years, and haven't had any issues before.

"Ever since the county filled in the ditch across the street, my neighbor's yard and my yard get flooded during heavy rain," she said. "This time my neighbor's basements, the businesses across the street and, unfortunately, my bi-level home have all been affected."

In Ravenna Township, Steve Eatinger and his neighbor Jacob Dawson both experienced flooded basements. Dawson had a sinkhole in his yard, and Eatinger had damage to the electrical mechanism in his furnace for the second time in two weeks. The first time, he said, the damage cost him $1,600.

Both of them blame a 12-inch pipe installed by the county that carries rain water from other areas in the county. In heavy storms, Eatinger said, the rain water overwhelms the pipe, and it flows "like a river" though his yard, eventually going through his garage and basement.

As for Dawson, he had at least three feet of water in his basement. In addition, he said water also washed away a stone bed he put in to try to solve the problem.

Both said have talked to county officials, who previously told them that it was their problem.

Dawson doesn't buy it. He said he's worked in excavating for years, and now works for a municipality, and knows how storm water works.

"Now that they've put in a road and a ditch, it's not my problem anymore," he said.

Seman said he understands why some people are angry and are looking for someone to blame.

"I can understand the rage," he said. "But we haven't neglected it. We go out and check it regularly."

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or [email protected].