Heavy rain overnight and into the morning hours produced high water, causing roads to close and one school district to call off classes this morning.

Thursday, January 24, 2002

Heavy rain overnight and into the morning hours produced high water, causing roads to close and one school district to call off classes this morning.

The flash flooding made travelling conditions slick for motorists, and even left standing water on several roads in the county. According to Drew Fry, a dispatcher with the Ironton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, three roads in the county were closed to traffic due to the flooding. State Route 93 was closed at mile post 12 near Pedro, State Route 650 was closed near the intersection of State Route 522 and a portion of State Route 140 in the county was closed.

Mike Boster, director of the Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency, said the flooded areas are being monitored, but no course of action has been taken yet. He said EMA officials will visit the affected sites to see if there are any individuals in need of the agency’s assistance.

He added volunteer firemen from the Elizabeth Township and Decatur Township volunteer fire departments have been out to assess the flooding and to ascertain if anyone needs any help.

The flooding also caused the Rock Hill district to close school for the day.

The rain was not the only culprit for the flooding, said Leeza Glazier, morning forecaster with WOWK TV 13 in Huntington. She said melting snow also contributed to the problem.

"We saw anywhere from 8 to 10 inches of snow in the area and as it melted, it saturated the ground," she said. "With the additional rainfall, the ground couldn’t hold any more water and it spilled into the roadways."

The good news is the rain is expected to subside this afternoon and warmer temperatures today, Friday and into the weekend should help dry up the wetness, Glazier said.

"The water is already going down in most areas," she said. "We expect to see a drying trend over the next couple of days, which will help."

She did say, however, temperatures tonight and into the early morning hours tomorrow could hover around the freezing point. This, she said, could cause some patchy ice on roadways, but she expects as the temperature rises later in the morning and into the afternoon the ice will disappear.