Holmes County, Ohio

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms affected Holmes County County during the late evening hours of August 20th and early morning hours of August 21st. Rainfall totals from across the county included: 4.30 inches at Nashville; 3.74 inches at Millersburg; 3.08 inches at Holmesville and 2.40 inches at Stillwell. Runoff from this rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to significant flooding across portions of Holmes County. Widespread lowland flooding occurred across the county and many roads had to be closed because of flooding. Some of the worst flooding occurred in and around Millersburg and also near Glenmont. Killbuck Creek left it's banks in Millersburg flooding homes and business nearby. Several people had to be evacuated from their homes. In Glenmont, Black Creek went into flood and damaged some homes. Hundreds of homes elsewhere in the county suffered damage as well, mainly from basement flooding. Finally, standing water and erosion from the runoff caused damage to agricultural interests in the county.

Another round of heavy rain producing thunderstorms moved across Holmes County late on June 16th and early on the 17th. Spotters near Berlin measured two inches of rain between 11 p.m. and midnight with storm totals of four to five inches. This rain combined with ground already saturated from earlier rains led to devastating flooding in portions of Holmes County. The Walnut Creek area was among the hardest hit in the county. Rapid rises in streams and creeks damaged many roads and buildings. Over 14,000 chickens perished at a Walnut Creek Township farm after flood waters surged into a barn. Two motorists were injured when their car was swept off a flooded county road and overturned. Two bridges were washed out in Salt Creek Township. Many roads had to be closed because of washouts or flooding. Hundreds of homes and businesses sustained at least minor flood damage. Damage to roads, bridges and other public property topped $700,000.

Heavy rain on the evening of June 23rd brought widespread flooding to Holmes County. The torrential rain with rates estimated around 4 inches per hour between 9 and 10 PM caused streams and creeks to rise. At 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Holmes County Sheriff's Office declared a Level 3 state of emergency, restricting travel to emergencies only, because of flooding. The town of Glenmont was evacuated with 3-4 homes inundated to the first floor from the Black Creek. A trailerpark was evacuated in Millersburg due to flooding from the Killbuck Creek. There was significant losses in county infrastructure as three bridges were washed out as well as numerous state and county roads. A fire truck driven into flood waters after the road had been eroded and sustained over $50,000 in damages. There was excessive crop damage primarily to the corn which was flattened by the heavy rain.