Flood in Athens, Ohio

South of a frontal zone, repetitive showers and thunderstorms moved west to east across Perry and Morgan Counties during the afternoon and evening hours of the 18th. The heaviest rains favored southern portions of Perry County and western sections of Morgan County. Between 1300 and 1800E, isolated rain amounts of 3 to 4 inches likely fell near Shawnee and north of Corning in Perry County. Western portions of Morgan County likely saw a 3 inch rain maximum. McConnelsville reported a 24 hour rain amount as 2.4 inches. Creeks such as Monday, Sunday, and Wolf flooded during the evening of the 18th in Perry and Morgan Counties. Homes and businesses were flooded in Corning. About 70 residents were temporarily housed in Corning. In terms of damage to single family homes or mobile homes in Perry County, about 35 saw minor damage, 20 had major damage, and 3 were destroyed. Three businesses had minor damage. Further down Sunday Creek, the flooding hit the villages of Glouster, Trimble, and Jacksonville of Athens County toward dawn on the 19th. Some residents were surprised. One resident of Glouster, who lost 2 cars, said he was in bed when the flooding started, and by the time he woke-up, the water was already waist deep. Several residents had to be rescued by boats. The Trimble Post Office had over 2 feet of water inside, but most of the mail was kept dry. In Athens County, around 85 single family homes and mobile homes had minor water damage, 42 had major damage, and 3 were destroyed. Approximately 18 businesses saw minor damage, while 2 businesses sustained major damage.The West Branch flows into the main stem of Sunday Creek at Glouster. The USGS gauge at Glouster rose about 15 feet in 18 hours, cresting at 19.02 feet around midday on the 19th. This is the second highest on record. The flood of record is 22 feet. It occurred way back in March of 1907. More recently, on June 28, 1998, the crest was 18.62 feet. Further west, on Monday Creek at Doanville, the crest was 18.8 feet on the 20th. The highest on record is 19.6 feet in August of 1997. The Hocking River in the community of Athens crested at 20.8 feet during the 20th, less than a foot above its 20 foot flood stage.A federal disaster declaration for Ohio included Athens and Perry Counties. See FEMA disaster number 1519 for details.