ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — Athens County is still assessing damages from heavy rainfall earlier this month, while local governments from Trimble to Athens continue to respond to damage in their communities.
Less than two weeks ago, Southeast Ohio received significant amounts of rain, causing severe flooding. On a county level, Athens County declared a state of emergency Aug. 12.
Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency for Morgan, Muskingum and Perry counties. A man in Perry County died because emergency responders could not reach him due to flooding. Perry County remains under a state declaration of emergency; nearly 400 people were displaced.
Damage assessment continues in Athens County
Athens County Emergency Management Agency Director-Teresa Fouts-Imer told the Independent Tuesday that the county is assessing damage with the state and federal governments through this Friday, Aug. 28.
If the state determines an emergency, it potentially opens the door for federal recovery efforts, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Fouts-Imler said.
Fouts-Imler said the EMA is relying on the public to report property damages from flooding to paint a full picture of the damage across the county. So far, property owners have reported minor to major damage to seven Athens County homes and damage to eight culverts or driveways, she said.
Fouts-Imler said anyone impacted by flooding should contact the EMA by phone at 740- 594-2261, or email at acema@athensoh.org, and encouraged the public to follow its Facebook page for further information and announcements.
“The more we can report, that gets us closer to the threshold of what the [state emergency declaration] requirement is,” Fouts-Imler said.
Fouts-Imler said the EMA can also help homeowners assess damages for potential property tax relief through the Athens County Auditor’s Office.
Local governments respond to flood damage
Immediately following the flooding, the Athens County EMA also provided cleaning supplies, gift cards and food boxes to those immediately impacted by flooding, Fouts-Imler said.
The Athens County EMA has also been connecting impacted individuals with the United Way, American Red Cross and other resources, she said. Additionally, the Athens County EMA coordinated with the Athens-Solid Waste District to set up a dumpster in Trimble so flood victims can dispose of ruined items.
Trimble Mayor Doug Davis told the Independent that the village has filled three dumpsters as it has cleaned up from flooding, including with items from damaged homes. One home was significantly impacted by flooding, he said.
“It had about a foot-and-a-half of water, so anytime you get that much water in the house, it’s pretty much a lot of damage,” Davis said.
Davis said the village has been helping with cleanup efforts and seeking assistance for impacted residents.
“We do have a little damage to one of the streets over there, but other than that, I mean, there was no real serious injuries to nobody or nothing,” Davis said. “But still, it is a bad thing whenever you got water inside the house.”
Davis said to contact him at 740-447-8449 to volunteer to help clean up homes damaged by flooding. “If any volunteers [want to] move furniture, get it out of there quicker — anything like that, we’d appreciate,” he said.
The city of Athens has also been discussing how to address flooding on Richland Avenue and other streets. Athens residents and business owners reported damage to their properties from flooding over the years at recent city council meetings.
Waterloo Fire Department Chief Craig Churchheus said that his department assisted Athens County residents immediately following the flooding. The department supported mutual aid for Perry County as well.
“We had some houses in Athens that was damaged up towards the Trimble-Glouster area, and we sent some stuff to them as well,” Churchheus said. “We took care of Athens County first, because it’s our home county.”
