BUCKEYE LAKE, OH (WCMH) – A non-mandatory evacuation is in effect for residents at Buckeye Lake Estates.
The mobile home park near the south end of the lake has high water, inching toward homes.
Some residents at Buckeye Lake Estates left on Friday before the voluntary evacuation notice was issued. Others stayed put to ride out the flood.
Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said there’s just no place for all of the water to go. He said they’re hopeful they won’t have to make the evacuation mandatory.
“The water’s just occupying that space that it can and part of that space are the roadways around 360 north bank area into Fairfield County and Buckeye Lake estates,” said Sheriff Thorp. “Our best friend is the weather. Hopefully, we get no more rain and time. It’ll just take a little bit of time.”
Impassable sidewalks and flooded roadways also made it difficult for residents to get around town.
“Usually we’re complaining, we don’t have any water in the lake and you can’t this, you can’t that and now it’s running over and flooding us,” said resident Samantha McCanless. “But, I feel for this poor people who have this clean up.”
ODOT shut down I-70 in both directions near Buckeye Lake after water flooded into the highway. Traffic was diverted to U.S. 40.
Families at a local campground also left, with water levels reaching the tops of picnic tables.
Resident Sue Haines is keeping a close watch on the water inching up her driveway.
She said she’s hoping her home stays dry.
“They finally shut down the roads, because people were plowing through here and shoving water into everybody’s garages,” said Haines. “We don’t have a problem at this point, as long as it quits flooding.”
Any displaced residents can go to the Red Cross emergency shelter, located at the Hebron Church of the Nazarene: 115 W. Cumberland St., Hebron, OH