CENTRAL OHIO (WCMH) — Monday’s rain was an unwelcome sight for central Ohio homeowners.
Many are worried that, with each rainy day, their sump pumps will struggle to keep up with all this water.
“When we came down there was about three inches of water standing in the carpeted area,” said Pickerington resident Amy Clark.
Clark and her family spent Monday trying to get rid of the water that flooded her basement Sunday evening. An hour-long downpour created a lake on Grand Haven Drive, a first for this subdivision where the Clarks have lived for more than 12 years.
“We were watching a movie and a friend across the street texted me and said ‘Have you looked outside?” Clark said.
“The kids were swimming trying to get across the (basketball) court.”
By Monday night, the lake was gone but left behind quite a mess in the basement. Vintage video games and a massive Lego collection were drying on the living room floor.
“We tried to use a shop-vac last night to suction out the water from the floor, but it just kept coming back,” Clark said, pointing out the damage. “It was pointless.”
Other items ended up in the trash, ruined by the water. Shockingly, their sump pump was working.
“It continued going,” Clark said. “We could hear it working. But it came down so fast, that it couldn’t do its job.”
A crew from Campbell-Restoration, a water damage company located at 7433 Hill Road NW, arrived Monday afternoon. Employee Cheyenne Myers said his crews get busier with every rain, and many sump pumps are working overtime.
“Sometimes they will fail from just overheating,” Myers said. “Or maybe they are old. Other times they just can’t keep up.”
It could take up to three days to dry out the Clarks basement, work best left to the professionals to keep mold from growing.
“A lot of people think, well I have a dehumidifier, we have a few fans, maybe we can just get it dried out on our own.” said Myers. “And we see a lot of problems down the road.”
With more rain in the forecast, Clark hopes her sump pump holds up.
“I am so done with this rain,” she said.
