HILLSBORO, Ohio — The Highland County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents who suffered property or water damage from storms that struck the county Sept. 9-13 to report it, saying the information will help officials gauge the scope of the damage and decide whether the county needs additional disaster assistance.
The agency is directing residents to an online form to describe damage to their homes or property. “Your reports help local officials assess storm impacts and determine if additional assistance is needed,” the agency said in a Facebook post urging residents to share the request.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Highland County at 2:53 a.m. Sept. 10, reporting significant flooding near the Highland County Fairgrounds and rushing water on state Route 73 after 2.5 to 5.5 inches of rain had already fallen. A second flash flood warning followed the evening of Sept. 12 for northeastern Highland County, including the Greenfield area and Paint Creek State Park, where 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours.
The storms were part of a wider system that brought flooding across the region during the same stretch, prompting neighboring Ross County to declare a state of emergency and Greenfield crews to clear storm drains after more than 7 inches of rain fell there over multiple days.
A damage report does not guarantee assistance, but the submissions give local officials a record they can use to request state or federal help if the damage meets certain thresholds. The Highland County EMA operates under Ohio Revised Code Section 5502, which requires each Ohio county to maintain an emergency management program to reduce the impact of disasters and support community recovery. The agency is led by Director David Bushelman and overseen by a board that includes township trustees, county commissioners, a city representative, and fire and EMS leadership.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Highland County Emergency Management Agency.
