WASHINGTON TWP., MONTGOMERY COUNTY -- Firefighters rescued a couple trapped when their Ford SUV left the roadway and was swept 100 yards down a creek and into a wooded area by fast-moving flood waters.
Rich Palmer of the Washington Twp. Fire Department said the SUV was traveling on Spring Valley Pike at 9:39 p.m. Tuesday when it hit a puddle, spun and dropped into a creek that for a distance runs parallel to the road.
The couple used a cell phone to call for help.
The front of the vehicle began to fill with water that rose to the steering wheel and the emergency dispatcher advised the couple to jump into the back seat.
At some point, the vehicle lodged in the creek and stopped moving. The fire department had two rescue boats deployed at the scene, but they weren't needed.
The depth of the creek apparently was not sufficient to cover the vehicle.
Firefighters used a ladder bridge to remove the couple to the creek banks at 10:26 p.m. They were not injured and medics took the couple to their home, Palmer said. Their names were not available.
The water rescue was the most dramatic flood-related event Tuesday as water runoff on roadways prompted authorities to shut down streets or access to them.
In Montgomery County, Miamisburg police closed Byers Road near Miamisburg-Springboro Road. West Carrollton police closed Farmersville-West Carrollton Road, between Upper River Road and West Carrollton-Soldiers Home Road. West Carrollton-Soldiers Home Road was closed between Farmersville-West Carrollton and the city limits.
In Greene County, authorities closed Rip Rap Road and Factory Road just south of U.S. 35.
In Warren County, authorities closed Middletown Road from the 5000 block at Covered Bridge to the cut in the hill, as well as Oxford Road in front of Atlas Roofing in Franklin.
At 9:54 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a river flood warning for the Great Miami River at Miamisburg. For the river below the city, the latest stage was 16.1 feet at 9 p.m.
The river was expected to exceed the 18-foot flood stage Tuesday night, and was expected to crest below 20 feet, which is lower than the crest of 21.5 feet that occurred a week ago, according to the weather service.
At stages near 18 feet, lowland flooding occurs from south of Miamisburg, to Franklin, Carlisle, Trenton and New Miami.
