Gov. Mike DeWine has declared a state of emergency for Pickaway County in central Ohio and 17 other Ohio counties due to severe flooding from heavy rains.
DeWine signed the order Sept. 22 in the presence of local officials, first responders, and residents in Vinton County. That county saw widespread flooding Sept. 21 that shut down the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur on the day the grandmother of the 16 Siders children found living in squalid conditions was scheduled to have a hearing.A pre-trial hearing scheduled that same day for Brandon Henderson Sr., another man charged in connection with that case,was also canceled due to heavy rains that flooded the courthouse.
In addition to Vinton County and Pickaway County, the 16 other counties
under a state of emergency are: Athens, Clermont, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, Logan, Meigs, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Muskingum, Perry, Pike, Preble, Ross and Van Wert.
"We've seen significant flooding and damage across several Ohio counties," DeWine said in the announcement. "The state is working closely with local officials to provide the resources needed to help communities respond and recover."
The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are assisting local authorities, and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency is also working with county and state officials to assist communities.
No total estimate of the damage from the flooding is available as officials in the counties involved and state agencies have had to wait for flooding to subside in some areas to determine the extent of damage to roadways, culverts, and structures.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 18 Ohio counties under state of emergency due to severe flooding
