Flash Flood, Gallia
- When
- May 29, 1:20 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST
- Where
- Gallia County, Addison to 0.4 mi SW of Alice
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 38.880, -82.150
Downpours were oriented northwest to southeast across Gallia County with the heaviest rain south of the Route 35 corridor. This included the Centenary area. Rains of 2.5 to 4 inches occurred between 1130E and 1330E. One automatic gauge near Northup measured 4.02 inches of rain in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. A gauge in Rio Grande measured 2.6 inches of rain.
Flash flooding occurred, centered on the Chickamauga Creek basin, including its Little Chichamauga tributary. Raccoon Creek also received much of the runoff from these downpours. Clear Fork, a small tributary to Raccoon Creek, flooded along the Router 141 corridor. This caused students from both Green Elementary School and Gallia Academy High School to be held after hours until the water receded from their access road. Urban runoff from paved surfaces quickly got inside convenience stores. Buildings in the 4H fairgrounds were flooded. The fast flowing water washed away small culverts, damaged roads, and private driveways. Basements were flooded. Vehicles were damaged by flood waters. One local farmer said he lived there his entire life and has never seen flooding like this. A woman at the University of Rio Grande said she had never seen anything like it, and it was horrible.
Portions of several state routes were closed by flood waters, including Jackson Pike around the Holzer Medical Center and the 4H fairgrounds. Also along the Jackson Pike, water surrounded, but did not get inside about 30 mobile homes in the Park Lane trailer court. As the water was receding, state maintenance trucks used their snow plows to help push mud and debris off area roads.
Thankfully, there were no injuries according to Gallia County Sheriff Joe Browning. The Gallia County Emergency Management said besides the one business, there were 25 to 30 homes impacted, but no one contacted them for assistance.