Severe storms hit Delaware County and central Ohio Thursday morning, causing power outages, flash floods, closed roads and now — a most pressing issue for residents — flooded basements.
The problem is so large that local plumbing companies are struggling to keep up, and most are booked solid until the end of next week.
“First thing in the morning, we were flooded with calls,” said Amanda Hines of Amanda’s Plumbing in Delaware. “Everyone had a flooded basement. Some of my employees started to get calls at 3 a.m.”
She said that workers can barely keep up with the demand for their services. She said that, even though her plumbers are working long hours, they’re booked until Thursday. She said that sump pumps are a big problem, too, as a lot of them had stopped working.
Workers at Emergency Plumbing Service of Delaware experienced similar issues, saying that they had people working until midnight. Despite the fact that they have employees working overtime, they’re booked until Wednesday.
The National Weather Service reported Thursday afternoon that the storms began just before midnight Wednesday and lasted late into Thursday morning. The Delaware Municipal Airport reported that Delaware received 4.25 inches of rain during that time.
The rainfall caused flooded basements to become a problem for many residents. Even Ohio Wesleyan University reported having flooded basements.