It was something that the City of St. Marys had not seen in some time - flood waters reaching feet deep in places and causing damage for just about everyone throughout the city.
"We were within six inches of the historic 1959 flood which was second only to the 1913 flood," said St. Marys mayor Pat McGowan. "Out here at Spring Street bridge, it was within maybe maybe 18 inches across cresting up and touching the beams underneath the bridge, so we’re very fortunate here."
In an effort to evaluate just how extensive the damage is, Auglaize County Emergency Management has created a document where residents and businesses can put in what kinds of damage that they are looking at after the flood.
"Right now what we’re doing is the Preliminary Damage Assessment and that is the first step to start getting some assistance; we’re doing a snapshot of all the damages, who’s been affected who’s been affected, how bad have they been affected, and putting that into a database to upload into the the State of Ohio Emergency Management so they can start looking at that," said Troy Anderson, Director of Auglaize County EMA.
The plan is then to speak with the county commissioners for a declaration that would begin the process for the county receiving financial aid from the state of Ohio. The Auglaize EMA has also applied for teams to come to where the flood hit hard and assist with clean up.
"These teams will come in and help get all of that mud out, cut the walls up, bring the wet or damaged product out, and also get the house is open because our next concern is going to be mold," said Anderson. "It’s almost like a domino effect, we're trying to stay ahead of the game right now."
The form will be available until Thursday, May 23rd, at midnight. It can be found on the Facebook page Auglaize EMA. People can also contact the Auglaize County EMA over the phone at (419) 739-6725 to file a report.
St. Marys city administration also asks people with concerns to contact their office in future emergency situations and to stay out of flood waters whenever possible.
