Officials in Lancaster continue to survey damage after heavy weekend rains across central Ohio flooded homes and washed away sections of roads.
The July 26 and 27 storms prompted rescues at area apartments and a dog boarder, officials said. They caused flooding that closed roads and displaced residents. The floodwaters began to recede early July 28, but officials were bracing for more rain in the forecast and the possibility of more flooding.
Fairfield County EMA Director John Kochis was out the morning of July 28 with teams surveying the damage from the floods. He said they are working to assess damage and plan to seek a disaster declaration from the state.
As of midday, he said about a dozen roads remained closed, mostly due to washed-out culverts.
Kochis urged people not to drive through flooded roads, saying receding waters have revealed that some stretches of roads were washed away.
“Now we’ve got pictures of, you know, 8-foot wide, just whole sections of road that are gone, and you wouldn’t know that if you drove through it (while it was flooded),” he said.
The American Red Cross established a shelter at the YMCA at 465 W. 6th St. in Lancaster for impacted Fairfield County residents. Anyone needing assistance as of July 28 should call 1-800-RedCross, the Central and Southern Ohio Red Cross said in a post on X.
‘Slow-rising’ flood hits Lancaster
The storms that prompted the evacuations were part of a system that moved through the region beginning in the mid-afternoon of July 27.
Kochis said some homes in the Lancaster area sustained significant damage. Most homes were damaged due to backups in the stormwater system.
“In the areas that were impacted … what we see is the stormwater system either backs up or could not contain that water,” Kochis said. “So it’s a very slow-rising type of flood.”
Several area creeks flooded their banks, resulting in flash floods. The Fetters Run, Ewing Run, and Baldwin Run creeks flow into the Hocking River nearby.
“These are creeks or runs that are maybe a foot or two deep all summer long,” Kochis said. “They could handle a normal rain event, but then one of these comes along every so often.”
Apartments flooded, concert impacted
On July 27, authorities evacuated about 50 people from the Sater Village apartment complex on Sater Drive, Kochis said. The apartment complex is located near the Baldwin Run creek, and the rainfall overwhelmed the complex’s private stormwater system.
Kochis said all the apartments were evacuated due to concerns about the rising waters, but most of the damage is contained to just four apartments.
Pamela Echard, 70, spent time the morning of July 28 sifting through her Sater Village apartment with her family to see what could be salvaged. Water seeped into her home over the weekend, soiling her carpets, soaking her furniture and causing her floors to bow.
When she first stepped back inside, she felt terrible, she said.
“I couldn’t believe it because I just cleaned the floors before I left,” Echard said.
Echard’s granddaughter, Deanna Hodges, said the apartment complex’s parking lot was completely underwater earlier. One car was even pushed sideways by the flood waters.
Water got into the interior of Echard’s car, and it is likely a total loss, Hodges said.
A worsening storm also forced officials to evacuate the Lancaster Festival on July 26. A concert was about to start that had attracted 4,000 people, Kochis said.
In the end, the damage was limited to “some beach chairs and some coolers,” he said.
Kochis said the storms serve as an important reminder to residents to ensure that they have proper insurance in the event of a flood. The affected homes were not in a designated floodplain area, so they are not required to carry flood insurance, Kochis said. Some of the areas affected by flooding have lower-income residents.
Standard homeowners’ insurance policies do not typically cover flood damage. Many rental insurance policies don’t either, he added.
Some people may rely on nonprofits or “people that will help out of the goodness of their hearts,” Kochis said.
More storms across central Ohio in Monday’s forecast
Kochis said July 28 that officials in Fairfield County are on guard for more flooding. They are speaking to the National Weather Service on a sometimes hourly basis, he added.
The NWS also has teams on the ground in Lancaster, Kochis said.
More thunderstorms are forecast for July 28 across central Ohio, with high temperatures in the low to mid-90s, and the heat index will make temperatures feel like 100 degrees.
Flooding threatened dog boarder
During the weekend storms, one of the overflowing creeks caused flash flooding that ripped through the Finishing Institute for Dog Ownership dog boarding facility.
FIDO evacuated after significant flooding, the business wrote on its Facebook page early in the morning on July 27. Lancaster police and fire personnel, and the Fairfield County Dog Shelter, worked to assist the business.
The building suffered “significant” flood damage, with “creek residue” and mud in the parking lot and entry area, the business later wrote on Facebook.
One dog, a 3-year-old tan and black dog named Scooby, escaped during the commotion as the business evacuated, according to a missing poster circulated on social media.
The business received an outpouring of donations, including new dog beds and blankets, towels and cleaning supplies, the business said in another Facebook post. A resident with a skid steer helped move the dumpster back into place and scraped mud from the parking lot.
“We are so blessed to have so many kind souls looking out for us,” the business wrote.
Dogs boarding with FIDO were brought to the Fairfield County Dog Shelter. The center said in a post on Facebook that pet parents could come to the shelter at 1715 Granville Pike to pick up their dogs.
Columbus forecast, severe weather outlook for week of July 28, 2025
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Weekend flooding in Lancaster damaged roads, apartments, businesses. What to know
Reporting by Bailey Gallion and Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
