EASTLAKE, Ohio — Many Northeast Ohio communities are on high alert wondering if the impending rain will lead to flooding. Officials are closely monitoring water levels, especially near rivers prone to flooding.
Rivers across Northeast Ohio are currently clogged with ice. But as temperatures warm up and rain moves in, these waterways could potentially break loose.
One of those spots is in Eastlake, near the mouth of the Chagrin River.
"We’re just waiting to see when it (Chagrin River) could possibly flush out," says Eastlake Mayor Dennis Morley.
When that happens, there's the potential for some serious flooding along the river's banks. It's a dangerous situation for those who live nearby.
"We definitely don’t want it to go over the banks into some of our residences yards and then sometimes onto the street," Morley added.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for several Northeast Ohio counties, including Cuyahoga, Summit, Holmes, and Wayne. Right now, the situation may seem like a concern. But conditions could change very quickly.
"We’ve been in contact with some other cities upstream. And that’s all we can do. We cannot stop Mother Nature when it starts moving down through the river," Morley told 3News.
The Coast Guard is taking steops to help if rivers do break loose. They're conducting ice-breaking missions on Lake Erie. This helps to make sure the rivers can easily empty into the lake when it's time.
Mayor Morley says Lake County offers 'Reverse 911' messages to warn residents if a dangerous situation arises, then keeping them in the loop until it's over. "When it does start moving is when we will actually be down here permanently, and sit here until it actually flushes out," he says.
Iroinically, Morley says they are looking forward to all of the ice clearing out during this warmup with some rain. Hopefully, it will be the last flood concern for this winter season.
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