DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- The Delhi Township Fire Department rescued a man from his flooded car during Sunday evening's storms.
Donald Kelty tried to drive his Chevrolet Impala through a flooded Rapid Run Road, but the high water quickly pulled his car under, he said.
RELATED: Mt. Carmel resident says flooding is ongoing problem
“I thought I could drive through the road, and it just took me,” Kelty said.
Water rushed in up to his waist through his driver-side door. No one was injured.
Meteorologists and law enforcement officials consistently warn against driving into floodwaters. Just a few inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult, and a foot can carry away a small car. More deaths occur each year due to flooding than any other thunderstorm-related hazard, according to the National Weather Service. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than half of all flood-related drownings happen when someone drives into hazardous flood waters.
“It was just scary to see geysers of water coming up, and the water just kept getting deeper and deeper,” Kelty said.
MORE: Why you should never drive on flooded roads
Several inches of water got inside businesses at Rapid Run Plaza. Lee Helmers, who lives nearby, had similar problems.
"The last couple years, our basement has been flooded because the water has come in back," Helmers said.
Helmers said her family has spent thousands of dollars replacing carpeting and pads. The problem, she believes, are two sewers behind her home.
A few miles away, in Green Township, Van Blaricum Road was closed because downpours created a sinkhole, taking out part of the road surface.
“It’s a sinkhole like you see on the internet," neighbor Diane Pekel said.
This is as close as we can get to the damage on Van Blaricum without falling in. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/17wJeUROpj
— Kristen Swilley (@KristenSwilley) April 17, 2017
Staff at the Hamilton County Engineer's office don't have a timeline for when Van Blaricum will reopen. They're just starting to develop a repair plan. Detours on Cleves Warsaw Pike and South Road direct drivers around the closure.
Bender Road reopened early Monday morning after a mudslide closed it.
