Ravenna city safety respond to 30 calls for people stranded in vehicles by high water

The Kent and Ravenna areas, which were hit hard by the Aug. 8 storms , received another dousing Saturday evening, leaving people stranded in their cars by high water and numerous homeowners with water in their basements.

Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman said that he couldn't recall seeing that much rain at once.

"I've lived in Ravenna all my life and I don't recall ever seeing storms like this," said Seman, who added that he had about 4 inches of water in his own business. The water went down after the rains stopped but left his basement damp.

Seman said that safety forces went out on around 30 calls on people who were stranded in their cars after they became submerged.

"Police and fire departments, they were pulling people out of the water," the mayor said. "They drove their cars into it and their cars stopped running. The rule of thumb is you don't drive into water like that but the truth was you couldn't drive out of water like that."

The heavy rains overwhelmed the city's drainage systems, Seman said. "That's a lot of rain coming at once. The gutters filled up so much that it couldn't handle it. Most pipes, gutters are designed for normal storms."

Seman said he would be meeting with the city's service director soon to assess the damage. He encouraged residents to call city hall if they've had flood-related damage on their property.

Vince Coia, Ravenna Township Trustee, said he was out of town when the rains hit, but said he found a good deal of debris in his driveway when he got home.

"I heard we had 3 inches of rain," Coia said. "I saw on social media that the township fire department went out to help with situation on Cotton Corners, where it flooded out. There were traditional calls for debris in the roadway. I know our road department had to close some roads off, traditionally the ones that flood when we get a lot of rain in a short amount of time."

Coia said that many residents, including his neighbor, reported having water come into their basements. He said that he did not have that issue at his home.

Area residents may need to brace themselves for more rain. According to the National Weather Service, there is a 70% chance for showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and a 60% chance in the evening. Monday morning, too, could see some rainfall, with a 40% chance of rain before noon.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ravenna city safety respond to 30 calls for people stranded in vehicles by high water