Heavy rains over the weekend have caused flooding across Lawrence County.

“It’s gone down in some places. I’m sure its still there in others,” said Lt. Mike Gore of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “We just want people to be safe. It doesn’t take much water to displace a car so you shouldn’t drive through it.”

Mike Pemberton, Ironton Streets Superintendent, said the river level is at 34.4 feet.

While city officials do not plan having to close the floodgates, they do plan to turn on two of the pump stations.

Officials typically do so when the river is at about 35 feet, Pemberton said.

Several fire departments had to rescue several people from high water over the night, a Lawrence County 911 dispatcher said.

Twenty or more such rescues were made in various areas of the county.

As of 9 a.m. this morning the following locations in Lawrence County had been closed due to high water, according to a release from the Ohio Department of Transportation:

State Route 93 between Pedro and state route 373,

State Route 141 at state route 774 and north of Wilgus,

State Route 217 from east of the Linnville Bridge to west of state route 378,

State Route 243 east of County Road 36,

State Route 650 at Little Creek Road and

State Route 775 between County Road 40 and County Road 171.

The emergency flood exit from county road 22 (Lawrence Street) has been opened to traffic.