Sat Nov 07 2009
By LISA NICELY
Authorities recovered the body of an Illinois man this morning who was missing since Wednesday night when his truck was swept off a water-covered roadway in Putnam County.
Authorities found 74-year-old Clyde Mayo, who was from the eastern Illinois community of Martinton, which is about 60 miles south of Chicago.
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office reported a body was recovered at 9:25 a.m. in the same area as the truck was found in a field.
The search began after a report that a semi truck had broken a power pole at the intersection of Roads J and 14-I in Greensburg Township, near Glandorf. The semi-truck was found by Glandorf Fire Chief Randy Brinkman at approximately 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on County Road 15, north of Road J. It was estimated there was at least four feet of water from the Blanchard River on the roadway at the time. The rushing water had swept the truck off the road and was located about 30 feet into a field.
The truck was accessed by a boat, but the driver was not found. Authorities determined that the man had entered the water from his truck.
Sheriff's office and Kalida Heavy Rescue personnel searched the area, along with an airboat from the U.S. Coast Guard and an Ohio Highway Patrol helicopter.
The sheriff's office reported a cadaver dog from the Allen County Sheriff's Office, Lima, alerted officials to an area, but that spot was not searchable because of the depth and current of the water.
Several motorists throughout the area have ignored high water and road closed signs in the past week, which has led to trouble.
In Williams County on Thursday, an ATV driver was transported by air ambulance to the University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, after he abandoned his vehicle on a flooded roadway.
Bryson Beck, 18, Stryker, was riding a four-wheeler east on Williams County Road C, west of Ohio 191, when he drove through high water from the Tiffin River around 7:45 p.m. Sheriff's officials said Beck had to abandon his ATV and get to higher ground. The Stryker and Archbold-German Township fire departments responded to the scene as well as the Williams County underwater rescue unit.
Beck's condition update was unavailable this morning.
Others have also tried driving through the high waters.
In Putnam County, a Continental resident whose car stalled as she tried to drive through high water had to be rescued Tuesday and an elderly man was rescued from high waters on Monday after his vehicle was swept off a county road.
Officials stress that motorists need to heed the high water and road closure signs.
"The water is hard to predict the depth of and anytime you come across water on the roadway or trails find an alternate route," said Tim Jonovich, assistant EMA director for Williams County.
Josh Walters, assistant director of the Putnam County Office of Public Safety, said motorists need to pay attention.
"That's the reason why there are barricades and barriers put up," he said. "People don't realize how strong the currents can be on the Blanchard River."
Meanwhile, all rivers in the region have crested and the floodwaters are receding.
The Blanchard River at Ottawa was below its flood stage of 23 feet this morning.
The Maumee River at Defiance was still five feet above the 10-foot flood stage this morning, while the river at Napoleon was at 14.01 feet, above the 12-foot flood stage.
The Auglaize River near Defiance was also below its 2-foot flood stage.
The Tiffin River at Stryker was more than five feet above its 11-foot flood stage this morning as well.
As floodwaters recede, residents are starting to assess damage and clean up. Clean-up kits from the flooding have been available in Defiance, Putnam and Henry counties.
Tracy Busch, Henry County Emergency Management Agency director, said 22 flood clean-up kits have been given out so far and more kits are available for those who need them at the emergency center.
Several homes were affected by flooding in the county, said Busch. The EMA will be assessing damages throughout the county today.
In Defiance County, EMA officials were checking the flood levels.
"We are waiting to see how far the water is going down today to see when we can get in and do some preliminary damage assessment," said Julie Rittenhouse, EMA director for Defiance County. There will be a meeting Saturday to begin damage reports in Evansport and the city of Defiance.
She said city crews will be trying to clean off roadways as the river level goes down.
"They are still going to be slippery, so we want people to be aware," she said.
"Luckily, the river waters never reached Second Street, so the city picked up the sandbags there on Thursday.
"Because water never reached Second Street we were able to save those and put them on pallets in storage so the next time there is a flood the city has those for Auglaize and East Second streets," said Rittenhouse.
In Putnam County, crews from the Office of Public Safety have already been out assessing flood damage as individuals work to get things back to normal.
The Putnam County Chapter of the American Red Cross closed its shelter on Thursday and several groups are helping flood victims. All streets in the village of Ottawa have also reopened.
"We had 80 homes affected," said Walters, adding that the number of homes is a "tremendous amount less" than those affected by the floods in February 2008 and August 2007.
"It shows the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) process at work where people have either sold homes to the village and moved or mitigated homes and raised them up so they weren't affected."
Currently, debris is being cleaned up.
"We recommend homeowners check with insurance companies," Walters said of debris removal. "Everyone ... should have flood insurance that will help with that."
Businesses and individuals are asked to call the village of Ottawa to dispose of sandbags. Those individuals needing help with debris removal are asked to call the village office or their township trustees.
In addition, the Putnam County Health Department will be conducting well testing for $15 for those who need it.
The good news for motorists is that as the floodwaters recede more roadways are opening up. All major highways except for Ohio 634 are open. There are several county and township roads still closed.
All but two intersections have been opened in Napoleon city because of flooding. Ohio 424 is still closed.
Ohio 65 in Henry County, however, is open. Also open is Ohio 49 in Williams County.
In Fulton County, officials were out checking the roadways this morning.
"They have opened several," said Brett Kolb, Fulton County EMA director. "We were down yesterday to seven that were closed. There were a few with water on the road but nothing to stop traffic. However, there were a few that still were deep."
There are still several roads closed in Paulding County as well. There are still four county and township roads closed because of high water, according to the Paulding County engineer's office. These includes parts of Emerald Road, County Road 105, Carryall Township Road 3 and Road 51.
However, Ohio 66 in Oakwood reopened on Thursday.
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