Flash Flood in Portage County, Ohio

During the early morning hours of May 22nd, heavy rain producing thunderstorms moved across Portage County for the the third time in less than 24 hours. Rainfall totals of over three inches were reported in the the county with rainfall rates at times approaching two inches per hour. A spotter in Kent measured 3.77 inches of rain between 3 a.m. on May 21st and 3 a.m. on the 22nd. This rain combined with ground already saturated from the earlier storms led to the renewal of widespread flooding in the county. The Kent, Ravenna, Charlestown and Paris Township areas were the worst affected in the county. In Ravenna, 40 people had to be evacuated from a mobile home park after flood waters rose to several feet deep. Several residents in a nearby apartment building also had to be evacuated. Dozens of roads and streets were flooded and had to be closed. Several vehicles became stranded in the flood waters. Damage to roads and other government property from the storms on the 21st and 22nd topped $750,000. Almost 300 homes and businesses sustained flood damage in the county.