Commissioners hear report on wind damage & flooding in Holmes County

Kevin Lynch, The Daily Record
·3 min read

MILLERSBURG − Heavy rains and high winds ripped through Holmes County on Saturday, knocking out power and closing many roads near the Killbuck Creek due to high water.

Flooding from the Killbuck Creek closed a section of Water Street near state Route 60 in the village.
Flooding from the Killbuck Creek closed a section of Water Street near state Route 60 in the village.

Emergency Management Director Jason Troyer shared a report with county commissioners about the damage and power outages affecting 4,700 customers of both AEP and Holmes-Wayne Electric, with 280 still without power as of Monday morning.

More:AEP: Wooster area power outages expected to be restored by Tuesday evening

Holmes EMA Director Jason Troyer
Holmes EMA Director Jason Troyer

"It started as a heavy rain early Saturday and we also had high winds throughout the area that started around noon that went to approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday night," said Troyer. "We had significant flooding around the Killbuck area ... . At one point in time, it was actually hard to differentiate between Water Street and the actual creek itself."

Troyer said the village, township and county garage acted quickly to close the roads for the safety of residents.

"I was out there (Monday) morning and the water had receded," he said, noting rain was expected to end Monday afternoon.

Fallen tree takes down wires on County Road 203

He noted an obstacle they are facing is a large tree down on County Road 203 that has several wires entangled in the tree. The engineer's office could not safely remove the tree until AEP took care of the wires.

"Those 280 residents will hopefully have their power restored by 6 p.m. on Tuesday," Troyer said. "Hopefully it will be earlier than that."

He commended the clean-up efforts by crews from AEP, Holmes-Wayne and local first-responders.

The county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was opened with a skeleton crew to offer assistance, however, no request for service was received. A plan was in place to address residents who needed power for life-sustaining equipment.

Moderate flooding at Killbuck Creek where water levels reached 16.4 feet

Water overflowed the banks of Killbuck Creek over the weekend, flooding some Holmes County roadways.
Water overflowed the banks of Killbuck Creek over the weekend, flooding some Holmes County roadways.

Troyer reported the water level at the Killbuck Creek was at 16.4 feet at its highest on Sunday. Moderate flooding occurs at 17 feet and minor flooding at 15 feet. The water level was 15.7 feet as of Monday morning.

The Mohican River reached a high point of 8.9 feet. Minor flooding occurs at 9 feet.

Commissioners Joe Miller and Dave Hall commended Troyer for his emergency management efforts.

"Thank you, Jason, for your leadership," Hall said. "We appreciate you being out there coordinating everything right from the beginning. It is nice to know that umbrella was there for those who needed it over the past two days."

Hall pointed to a challenge that arose getting emergency assistance to one of the nursing homes.

One bid received on bridge replacement project

Holmes County Commissioners received one bid for $1,158,965.97 for the bridge replacement project on Berlin Township Road 123.
Holmes County Commissioners received one bid for $1,158,965.97 for the bridge replacement project on Berlin Township Road 123.

In other business, the commissioners received one bid for the bridge replacement project on Berlin Township Road 123.

The bid was submitted by V.O. Menuez & Son of Millersburg for just under $1.2 million, which is the engineer's estimate for the project. It will be reviewed by the county engineer who will submit his recommendation to the commissioners.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Commissioners hear report on wind damage & flooding in Holmes County