The Kent and Ravenna areas, which were hit hard by the August 8 storms, experienced severe flooding again Saturday night, leaving people trapped in their cars by the high water and many homeowners with water in their basements.
Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman said he couldn’t remember it ever raining so hard.
“I’ve lived in Ravenna my whole life and I don’t remember ever seeing storms like this,” said Seman, who added that he had about 4 inches of water in his own business. The water subsided when the rain stopped, but his basement remained damp.
According to Seman, security services responded to about 30 calls for people stranded in their cars after they became submerged.
“Police and fire, they were pulling people out of the water,” the mayor said. “They were driving their cars into it and their cars stopped moving. The rule of thumb is you don’t drive into the water like that, but the truth was you couldn’t drive out of the water like that.”
The heavy rains overwhelmed the city’s drainage systems, Seman said. “That’s a lot of rain all at once. The gutters filled up so much they couldn’t handle it. Most of the pipes and gutters are designed for normal storms.”
Seman said he would meet with the city’s service director soon to assess the damage. He encouraged residents to call City Hall if they have suffered flood damage on their property.
Ravenna Township Administrator Vince Coia said he wasn’t home when the rain started, but came home to find a pile of debris in his driveway.
“I heard we had 3 inches of rain,” Coia said. “I saw on social media that the city fire department was out there helping with the situation at Cotton Corners, where it was flooding. There were traditional calls for debris on the road. I know our road department had to close a couple of roads, traditionally the roads that flood when we get a lot of rain in a short period of time.”
Coia said many residents, including his neighbor, reported water coming into their basements. He said he didn’t have that problem at his home.
Area residents may want to brace for more rain. According to the National Weather Service, there is a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and a 60% chance in the evening. Some rain is also possible Monday morning, with a 40% chance of rain before noon.
This article originally appeared in Akron Beacon Journal: Roads, basements flood as Kent, Ravenna hit by rain and wind again
