Public forum focuses on flooding issues in Reynoldsburg

Mayor Joe Begeny says the city is committed to allocating more than $1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to areas of Reynoldsburg hardest-hit by flooding issues.

The city held a public forum Sept. 22 to answer questions and help direct residents to resources for short- and long-term solutions – including those most affected by an August deluge that, according to the National Weather Service, dumped 4.5 inches of rain on the city in 90 minutes.

Begeny invited Jeffrey J. Young, director of the Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security; Steve Ferryman, who handles mitigation for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency; and Alicia Silverio, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources National Flood Insurance program coordinator, to participate in the forum.

Reynoldsburg residents who live in the Briarcliff subdivision and other areas along Blacklick Creek have endured episodes of heavy, destructive flooding over the past four years.

“How can we get financial help now, not in years?” resident Teresa Foster Alabi wrote. “My basement is a mess, my (electric) needs replaced and flood insurance isn’t touching any of it.”

In addressing infrastructure concerns, Bageny said approximately $750,000 in stormwater and sewer improvements are underway on Roundelay Road, thanks to federal funding.

Many of the homes in Briarcliff, which were constructed in the 1970s, wouldn’t be permitted in those flood zones under today’s construction standards, Bagney said during an interview before to the public meeting.

The homes are among a half-million properties in Ohio at risk of flooding, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency data. Local planners use the FEMA information to determine which areas are safe for development.

Ferryman outlined mitigation programs, which are designed to end the cycle of flooding and rebuilding.

Under these programs, homes can be acquired and demolished, elevated from their existing foundation or retrofitted, depending on the situation.

If a home in a flood zone is demolished, “nothing would be built there and ownership would revert to the city,” Ferryman said.

Residents asked whether dredging Blacklick Creek would help end the flooding.

Silverio called that a “Band-Aid approach.”

“It’s a temporary attempt to minimize flooding,” she said. “Over time, when it rains, any work that is performed is undone.”

Residents also have pointed fingers at commercial development to the north of their flood-prone neighborhoods, which Ryan Andrews, the city’s engineer contracted through EMH&T, addressed.

“The city has a flood-plain and stormwater code,” he said. “Guidance is provided to developers. I also understand that when something like this happens, there’s a natural reaction to say something near me caused this.

“The reality is, it was a huge rain event. I’m not saying development doesn’t impact it, but I’m not sure how big that impact is."

Some residents, including Susan Plank, have taken matters into their own hands.

“Back in March (2020), we had rain that was just exponential,” she said. “Every person on my street had water, but we didn’t. We spent $20,000 on improvements (waterproofing) on our home, but I realize that not everyone can afford that.”

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