Flood waters overtake Wooster
According to Captain Charles Hardman, of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, while the 911 dispatchers fielded calls throughout the night "we really started getting bombarded about 6:30 this morning" when the water began to rise in earnest.
Most of the calls for assistance came from people trapped in their homes or cars by rising flood waters and required the deployment of the Wooster Township water rescue team.
John Wise, Wayne County Emergency Management Agency director, said that in order to provide much needed relief to the busy team, two additional water rescue teams from Summit County were called in to act as backup.
As of late afternoon Feb. 28, there were no reports of fatalities or injuries attributable to the flooding.
The hardest hit areas included the south end of Wooster and the areas around the Killbuck Creek, Apple Creek and Clear Creek, all of which swelled over their banks.
The National Weather Service expected the Killbuck Creek to crest at 16.2 feet, which is more than two feet above its normal level, said Wooster Police Chief Steve Glick.
When the flood waters neared their peak, large areas of Wooster were underwater, including portions of the Wayne County Fairgrounds and Schellin Park.
The high water forced the closure of scores of roads throughout the area, including Freedlander Road, Grosjean Road, Prairie Lane, Spruce Street, Timken Road, South Bever Street, Old Lincoln Way and Baurer Road.
Hardman said the Baurer Road area was so inundated with water when he drove through early in the morning that the flood waters were halfway up the Waste Management trucks parked in the company's parking lot.
In other parts of the county, portions of state Routes 83, 302 and 94 and U.S. Route 250 were also closed.
When high water forced the closure of U.S. Route 30 in Wooster for much of the day, traffic was diverted to Liberty Street, causing massive traffic jams.
Rising flood waters also forced the evacuation of residents on North Baurer Road and Spruce Street, according to Wooster Mayor Bob Breneman.
A number of businesses along Freedlander Road, including Built-Rite and Orrville Trucking and businesses on Kemrow Street were also evacuated, noted Hardman.
High water took its toll on Wooster's waste water treatment facilities when four or five of the city's life stations went down due to the high influx of water.
While the city's water plant was not affected, the wastewater treatment plant had "six to eight feet of sewage in one of the buildings," said Breneman.
Breneman added that while the plant remained operational, a number of the plant's pumps were affected, forcing city officials to bring in an emergency pump to take some of the load off the plant.
The county's roads also took a beating during the flooding.
"There have been a couple of roads that have been damaged," said Hardman, adding that Hatfield Road off state Route 94 in Chippewa Township "seems to possibly have collapsed."
Emergency management officials have cautioned area residents to stay out of flooded areas, refrain from driving on roads with standing or moving water and encourage children to stay away from rain swollen creeks.
The best advice for motorists and families alike - "Give the water a chance to recede," said Hardman.
Glick noted that while the situation was still fluid, the National Weather Service expected the flood waters to begin receding late in the day on March 1.
Breneman praised local first responders for the way they handled yet another difficult weather related incident.
"They have handled this situation admirably," said Breneman. "They have risen to the occasion."
Published: February 28, 2011
