LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Wednesday night's storms impacted people all across Northeast Ohio, including Lorain County, where flooding and storm damage were felt by many.
Lorain resident Brittany Lanning was on her way home from work at Cedar Point when she realized the severity of the storms that were rolling in. As her fiancé drove her home, they turned into their neighborhood and were instantly caught in the flooding.
"I work at Cedar Point; they closed it down because they were getting rained. And Ryan was on his way to get me, and we were leaving Sandusky. It wasn't bad then. But as soon as we got out here, it was," she recalled.
Her first thought: their home.
Lanning said that they've experienced flooding inside their home before, and with the construction of sewage lines and pipes a few blocks away, the fear was that the flooding might intensify in their neighborhood. Unfortunately, it was.
After pushing their car through the flooded street and helping a neighbor, the two went to their home and saw their fears become reality.
"I was stressed. I was freaking out. I started crying. I had a panic attack. I was like, 'Ryan, what am I going to do?' Like 'What are we going to do? Our car is done. Our house is flooded,'" she said.
The car was flooded up to the windows. Now it won't start. Pockets of water remained inside the car; the trunk was completely filled with flood water. Ryan, a mechanic, is working to salvage it, but the belief is that it's now scrap. Finding a way to work is now something Lanning has to figure out, on top of cleaning out the basem*nt and finding things that aren't ruined from the damage.
Lanning blames the city for their lack of response to what she calls an ongoing problem. She wants better response times and more assistance to not only help with the situation at hand now but to prevent more flooding in the future.
"It's just the fact that they charge us so much on taxes and then do what with their tax money that they get from us? They don't do nothing with it. They use it for what they want to use. They use it for new cop cars, they use it for new jail systems, they use it for new whatever else they want to use it for but they don't use it to help us," she said.
The impact of the flooding wasn't just a residential problem. Down in Wellington at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, the evening storms caught fairgoers off guard, and they had to act quickly.
"We were on the second event—skies opened up," said Danny Alverson, a parent of junior fair participants. "I don't know what a hurricane looks, but it was pretty scary."
As the storms rolled in and the rain started falling, it became evident quickly there was going to be flooding.
"This whole area was flooded. And everything from the stands was just flowing through the driveway," said fair-goer Evan Born.
The animals were put in their barns, and those participating in the fair took shelter.
Throughout the night, fair organizers and participants worked to clear the flooding. The community came together and helped clear out the damage. Cars that were flooded in the back lot and stuck in the water were pushed out; fans were set up to dry out barns and show areas. Businesses donated supplies to help clean up the fairgrounds.
Tasha Bolyard
While events on Thursday were canceled, there were silver linings for those at the fair.
"You all stick together, and everyone comes together. Don't turn your back on anybody. Help everybody out," Alverson said. "Number one thing here, animals were okay. And we can move on to brighter days."
As those at the fairgrounds saw community support, residents like Lanning are now hoping for some aid of their own.
"We're trying to reach out to Red Cross," she said. "I need help with what just happened. I'm pretty sure everybody else out here needs help as well. And it's stressful. I'm already stressed out. I already have a lot on my plate. And now, on top of this disaster, I don't know what I'm going to do."
Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley issued a statement to News 5 regarding the flooding and residents' concerns.
It reads:
According to our Utilities Director, due to the magnitude of the storm, there was no way that flooding could have been avoided and, in fact, the storm also destroyed infrastructure at our wastewater facilities and pump stations. Early evaluations are considering this a 500 year storm which infrastructure is not designed to address. Hopefully, everyone understands the magnitude of the storm experienced yesterday and throughout the night. Our city crews are doing their best to address the damage and cleanup and are working to insure that our facilities are prepared to address additional flooding if additional storms happen later today or tomorrow. We are thankful that there was no loss of life as a result of the storm and are advising residents to contact 211 if they are in need of assistance and to hopefully activate assistance through the Federal Government and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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