Midwest Flooding

[Andrew Pritchard]

Melting almost a foot of snow + 5-6 inches of rain in a 24-36 hour period = a lot of water with nowhere to go.

Drove around some last night and this morning shooting some video and photos of the flood waters in eastern Illinois. Check the link below for a brief write up and more photos. A video clip including motorists driving through the flood waters -passing- an already stranded car, and other water related sights will be up shortly. People's logic blows my mind sometimes when it comes to weather related hazards. They didn't make it through the water, but I might!

http://prairiestormmedia.com/6feb2008.html

 

[Andrew Kajfasz]

The flooding around here in NW Ohio and Northern Indiana are supposed to get worse as the areas rivers finally crest sometime in the afternoon or evening today.

From what I have been seeing, a couple of places in Northern Indiana are expected to approach 100 year flood levels by the time the rivers crest. Here in NW Ohio, some of the main roads in town in Defiance are expected to be covered by water and two of the parks near the river are already completely underwater.

Last I heard, there have already been people going door to door to warn people along the river on the south side of town to prepare for flooding in their homes and an expected evacuation as the water is already approaching the roads and homes there and it's still got a ways to go before it crests.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is also expected to close Ohio 424 at the Ohio 281 ramp sometime in the next 12 hours, if they haven't already, and there have been steady reports from Henry county of parts of US 24 that run right along the Maumee river being covered with water.

Thankfully, at least in NW Ohio, flooding hasn't reached the devastating levels like it did back in August in Ottawa, Ohio when nearly the entire town was completely underwater from massive flooding. They are still cleaning up from that to this day. Though, on the other hand, the flooding crisis in the region isn't over yet, so time will tell just how bad it will get and be I suppose.