ELYRIA, Ohio — Lorain County saw a host of Flash Flood Warnings and advisories on Sunday as severe weather made its way through much of the Northeast Ohio region.
Elyria saw some of the worst of the severe weather with damaging floods all throughout the city.
3News' Lydia Esparra was in Elyria today and talked to homeowner Debbie Boyd who's basement saw eight inches of water accumulation because of the flooding.
Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield was spoke with 3News and said that the "old systems in place" had a hard time handling the amount of water in a short amount of time.
The city of Elyria issued the following statement to 3News shortly after 11 a.m. Monday:
On the evening of Sunday, August 21, a narrow band of torrential rain moved across the City of Elyria. This extreme weather event dropped four to five inches of rain on some areas of our community in less than an hour. Only a handful of extreme weather events with this much rainfall have affected the area since 1995, and it is not yet clear if any of them are comparable to this event given the short amount of time in which the rain fell.
Soon after the storm’s arrival, the City of Elyria’s Police and Fire Departments began receiving weather-related emergency calls, including calls of vehicles stranded in floodwaters, homes struck by lightning, and downed power lines. While no injuries were reported as a result of the storm, emergency services were busy throughout the night keeping residents safe.
The City of Elyria’s Wastewater Department was also busy responding to reports of street and basement flooding. Last night the department sent crews to 81 homes and businesses to assist residents with flooding issues, and dozens more calls are still coming in. While some homes flooded due to foundation or drainage issues, others experienced backup flooding due to the extreme weather event and an overwhelmed wastewater system.
The Wastewater department recommends reporting basement or street flooding as soon as it happens. When city staff arrive to survey the reported issue, they can determine where the water is coming from and what can be done to mitigate any potential damage. The Wastewater Department urges residents to call (440) 366-2211 with flood reports if they have not done so already, and crews will continue to survey these locations in the coming days. The department also suggest disinfecting any areas in the home affected by floodwater.
In the coming days the City of Elyria will be taking residents questions’ and hosting a Wastewater Department roundtable to help residents understand why they experienced flooding with this extreme weather event and what can be done to help mitigate future events. The roundtable location and time will be announced shortly.
Take a look at some of the photos taken by Elyria residents from today's flooding event:
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