By Sophie Wheeler
For The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
PARKERSBURG – Sudden heavy rains inundated the area Monday morning, leaving water inside the Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe on Murdoch Avenue, among other places.
About 1.5 inches of rain fell from around midnight to 8 a.m. Monday, according to statistics from the National Weather Service, which issued a flood watch that is in effect until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
The Weather Service forecast shows a chance of showers today, with areas of fog before 11 a.m. and thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m. Showers and thunderstorms are likely before 3 a.m. Wednesday and possible up until 5 a.m. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch are possible. Wednesday showers and thunderstorms are likely before 2 p.m. and possible, along with a thunderstorm, until 5 p.m., with an 80% chance of precipitation. More showers and thunderstorms are possible before 11 p.m. as well.
Kassim Almerdaie, manager of Bora Bora Smoothie Cafe, said the flooding began around 2-3 a.m. and was reported at approximately 6:40 a.m. with at least an inch of water inside the building. This is the second time the store has experienced flooding in the past few months, he said.
“We just want to see if the issue can be fixed, because every time it rains like this, we are affected a lot,” Almerdaie said.
While the waters have receded, it could take several days to a week before they are able to reopen.
Curtis Thomas, supervisor at the Wood County 911 Center, said in addition to the areas commonly affected by flooding, there were reports of landslides in the 1300 block of Pond Creek Road and the 100 block of Lee Creek Road and the collapse of a culvert under a roadway on the 2100 block of Wolf Run in Rockport.
Areas experiencing flooding included Core Road at 36th Street, 36th Street at the Worthington Ballparks, Mustang Acres, Old St. Marys Pike, Harris Highway and Lake Washington Road, and the 900 black of Josh’s Fork Road in Rockport.
Thomas said there are crews working on the landslides and the area of the culvert collapse and many areas that experienced flooding are passable including U.S. 50 and Interstate 77.
“As long as the rain stays away, we are starting to see the waters receding,” he said.
Wood County Emergency Management Director Sam Scalise said the excessive rain has caused the ground to be saturated and areas to flood. He also said individuals should pay attention to any ground slippage or landslides as well, as another hazard that can be associated with heavy rain or flooding.
Washington County Emergency Management Director Rich Hays said no major problems were reported on that side of the Ohio River Monday and most areas impacted were the ones usually affected by high water. That included at Belpre Elementary School, where students were on a two-hour delay due to accumulated water.
City Editor Evan Bevins contributed to this story.
Read more from The Parkersburg News and Sentinel here
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