PIKE COUNTY, Ohio. A hovercraft crew reached two people inside a manufactured home that floodwaters had pulled off its site Saturday evening along U.S. 23, according to the Piketon Seal Township Fire Department Special Operations Response Team.
The department said its SORT unit was dispatched at about 8:04 p.m. Sept. 12 to the 15000 block of U.S. 23 to assist the Waverly Fire Department on a water rescue. Crews found a double-wide manufactured home being pulled downstream by floodwaters from a nearby creek.
Hover 4 was sent to reach the structure and check for occupants. Units got to the home and found two people inside. The department said weather conditions then began to improve and the water started to recede. Occupants could not be moved immediately. Hover 4 stayed with them until water dropped enough for a vehicle to reach the home and crews could help them leave.
While with the occupants, the hovercraft crew found significant structural damage. The department said the two halves of the home had begun to tear apart. Floodwater had reached about 1 foot inside. After the water receded, crews found the home had been moved about 30 feet from its original location.
The home was not safe to occupy. Units transported the two occupants from the damaged structure to the Pike County Sheriff’s Office to meet the American Red Cross. The Red Cross was there to provide further assistance, including emergency shelter and help for people who could not return home. The department did not release the occupants’ names, ages, or medical conditions.
The department called the call extremely complex because conditions changed quickly. It thanked the Waverly Fire Department, Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Portsmouth Ambulance, and Pebble EMS for help on scene.
This account is based on the fire department’s official statement. Occupant identities were not released.
Weather and road conditions Saturday night
The National Weather Service in Wilmington had Pike and Ross counties under a flood watch Saturday, then flood advisories, a flash flood warning, and a flood warning that replaced the flash flood warning at 10:04 p.m. EDT. The warning covered northwestern Pike County and south-central Ross County until midnight. NWS said thunderstorms had dropped 1 to 3 inches of rain, with flooding of creeks, streams, and low-lying areas occurring or imminent. No additional rain was expected after the warning was issued. Places listed included Waverly, Lake White, Buchanan, Pike Lake, and the Pike County Airport.
Pike County 911 reports relayed through NWS local storm reports around the same hour documented high water on major routes. At 8:49 p.m. EDT, 911 reported U.S. 23 closed because of high water from about 3 miles north of Waverly to the Ross County line. Other closures reported shortly after included Buchanan Road from Ohio 220 to Pleasant Hill Road, the Prosperity Road and Denver Road intersection, and sections of Ohio 220.
Anyone affected by Saturday’s flooding in Pike County can contact the American Red Cross for disaster assistance, including emergency shelter. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911.
