Early Thursday morning, flash flooding left roads and communities across central Ohio under water after days of heavy rain.
The National Weather Service (NWS) previously issued a flash flood warning for Columbus and parts of Fairfield and Licking counties through Thursday morning. The NWS reported that between 1.5 and 3 inches of rain had fallen, with no additional significant rainfall expected. Flooding continued in some areas after the warning expired.
Columbus city crews activated the Franklinton floodwall and floodgates along Greenlawn and Harmon avenues as heavy rain caused water levels to rise.
“We got so many neighbors in need. We had a tornado last week with bad storms, and then we had a significant amount of rain overnight, and that's why we're activating the flood wall today,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said during a Thursday morning press conference.
Five people and a dog are missing after flood waters swept through a homeless camp near Gender Road.
Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Brian Barnhart said a woman from the camp walked to Wendy's at 3660 Gender Road to call for help when she realized the camp was in danger.
A second homeless camp nearby also flooded. Columbus firefighters rescued two people from Blacklick Creek, and assisted two Columbus police officers who went into the water, Barnhart said.
He said it's unclear whether the five missing people escaped or if they were pulled into the creek.
Later in the day, around 2:30 p.m., firefighters rescued a 12-year-old boy from the same creek after receiving a call from a cul-de-sac about a mile and a half northeast of the homeless camp.
Barnhart said the boy tried to cross a bridge on his bicycle and ended up in the creek. Firefighters got ahead of him and used ropes and buoys to pull him from the water. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
"Stay out of fast moving floodwater," Barnhart warned. "Even though it may not look like its deep or moving fast, it can still stall out your car or it can knock out your feet and sweep you down the river."
Thursday morning, Ginther said Columbus received more than three inches of rain during a 12-hour period, with some areas receiving upwards of four to five inches.
The NWS also issued a flood warning for the Scioto River near Frank Road. Ginther said the river was expected to reach its highest level around 2 p.m. Thursday.
Several roads were closed because of flooding. A city spokesperson said Greenlawn Avenue is closed between Front Street and Harmon Avenue, while Harmon Avenue is closed north of Frank Road. The ramps from I-71 to Greenlawn Avenue are also closed.
Additionally, I-71 is closed between I-70 and I-270 because of high water.
Ginther urged residents to allow extra travel time, especially around school hours and to monitor road conditions before heading out.
“We are going to have a lot more traffic around school hours. Just give yourself as much time as possible and get information,” Ginther said. “You may have to change your routes to pick up the kids this afternoon and potentially getting them to school tomorrow. So just think ahead and plan ahead and give each other as much grace as possible out here on our roadways.”
Columbus residents can call 311 to report flooding or storm damage. Ginther said 311 has received more than 1,700 recent reports related to trees and flooding.
