CHIPPEWA LAKE, Ohio — It’s been a long weekend for residents living near flood-prone areas. And for those living near the banks of Chippewa Lake in Medina County, it can’t get much worse.
Access to the lake has been shutdown for boaters as the lake has reached flood level – many docks now invisible to the eye. A park near the lake was also overtaken by water. But the biggest problem is for residents living on streets nearby that have been closed due to flooding. Several cars and homes have taken on water and owners can’t do anything about it.
Mark Miller has been living in Gloria Glens since 1972. He rated this flood an 8 out of 10 – saying he’s seen worse, but this is pretty bad. What’s bad about this storm is how quickly the water came.
“We get everything that comes down from the north. And the surrounding area that drains into the lake,” said Miller. When he went to bed, there was no water on his property. “There was no water in my driveway. Then I got up at 6 a.m. and it was into my driveway.”
Now he’s left waiting for the water to recede with his dog, Ginger. But many of his neighbors are left with more to worry about.
“This morning, [the water] rose up more and into the garage, all the way up the street,” said Anthony Brilla who lives on Playland Parkway. “All the way up into our basement, close to the floorboards, so it could mess up the wiring.”
Brilla lives with his parents and said this is the worse flooding he’s seen here. Family friends are helping the Brilla family repair a pump to clear water from the basement. But with the water levels as high as they are, there’s nowhere to pump water to.
Brilla’s family submitted requests for help to the local Emergency Management Agency as well as his insurance company. They’ve yet to hear from the EMA, and the insurance said they’d get back to them in 7-10 days – not promising results.
At this point, there’s not much residents can do but wait – wait for mother nature takes its course. But with rain in the forecast, there’s a good chance things will get worse before they get better.
Judy McKnight has water in her home and says it’s not the first time. She’d sell and move, but simply can’t afford to right now. Even if she could, offloading her home to a new owner would be a difficult task.
“[Floodwater] is already in my bathroom downstairs, my utility room downstairs,” said McKnight. “It’s probably not going to be the easiest house for me to sell.”
When the water finally does recede, she and many others will have to cleanup and hope the inevitable doesn’t happen again.