Heavy rain floods roadways, homes

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July 11, 2009

By CARRIE STAMBAUGH - The Independent The Daily Independent Sat Jul 11, 2009, 10:55 PM EDT

ASHLAND — Heavy rain deluged Boyd County on Saturday evening washing out roadways and flooding numerous homes.

Emergency responders were overwhelmed with calls and had to use secondary routes to reach some residents after high water blocked roadways.

The high water stranded one motorist who had to be rescued from her car and caused an accident on Boy Scout Road in Ashland that sent another woman to a local hospital.

Ashland-Boyd County Emergency Management Director Matt Adkins said the damage to homes and roadways was still being assessed Saturday night.

Rain gauges in Boyd County indicated more than 2.5 inches of rain fell in an hour, according to the National Weather Service. The water simply overwhelmed storm drains and creeks causing flooding throughout the region.

Adkins said he did not believe the storm had caused enough damage to warrant a disaster declaration, but he was collecting damage reports and remained in contact with state and federal emergency officials.

Although rain had stopped falling earlier in the evening, emergency management officials were still on the lookout for rising creeks as of press time Saturday night.

“We are worried that all of this water has to go somewhere and it all goes to Westwood before it goes out. Normally it bottlenecks there,” Adkins said.

As night fell, road workers were still assessing damage to bridges and roadways as the water receded and checking on residents using ATV’s in areas where roadways were impassable.

Barbecue Road and Twin Fork were reportedly both washed out and Johnson Fork also sustained heavy damage, according to officials.

Other roadways that had temporarily been closed, including U.S. 23 at 55th Street and portions of Roberts Drive, were being reopened by officials as water receded.

Adkins said homes on Hatchery Road flooded for the second time this year. Gasoline leaking at one of the homes was washed into others by the floodwaters, he said.

Fumes overcame several individuals on Hatchery Road who were taken to local hospitals for treatment, Adkins said. None of the individuals were believed to have sustained life threatening injuries.

Firefighters in Summit-Ironville rescued a young woman from her car after she drove into high waters, Adkins said.

“People just don’t understand the risks they are taking in driving through this floodwater,” he said. “As little as 6 inches of moving water will take a car off the roadway and it’s just not something we should even take a chance on.”

Greenup County Emergency Management Director Dennis Bass reported no major damage or injuries. Under tunnels in Russell and Worthington were temporarily closed, but all had reopened.

Dispatchers in Lawrence and Carter County reported no road closures or flooding.

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