Ohio River flood, 2/18/18

This afternoon I drove up Ohio 7 from Huntington to Gallipolis and on to Point Pleasant. As expected, there were some detours, but I'm from that area, so I already knew most of the back roads that could be used for detours.

Here are a few pictures from that trek.

First, about all of Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington is under water, including the sidewalk at the top of the bank. At least the playground that my granddaughter refers to as the Blue Park was still dry as of this morning.

At Crown City in Galllia County, Ohio, the sign was up warning people to stay off the bridge painted yellow, as most of it was under water.

Ohio 7 just before the mouth of Swan Creek. In early afternoon only a part of the southbound lane was under water. By evening the water was up to the double yellow line.

Below the Gallipolis Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam, the motor vessels James R. Morehead and Georgetown were tied up to the M&G Polymers dock.

And just below those two Campbell boats was another, the M/V Tommy H.

Just above the dam, the road was closed.

And some people wanted a closer look. The guardrail along the road was under water.

At Mound Hill Cemetery in Gallipolis, the encroachment of floodwater on the floodplain was plain to see.
 

Property with a river view? No kidding.

Silos are reflected in backwater.

Across the river in Point Pleasant, this truck at the Campbell dock was partly under water

On the trip back down, the water was over the road a couple of miles above Crown City. I drove through this water, as it didn't seem too deep.

Down below the Lawerence County village of Athalia,  the road was closed, but some people drove through it anyway. (My apologies for the lens flares).

This water looked too deep, so I turned around and took a detour on back roads. When I got home, someone had sent me this link about how a family of four had to be rescued after driving into the water below Gallipolis.

These photos were all quick edits. I have a couple that I want to spend more time on, so I may post them Monday or Tuesday. This is one. It happens to be my wife's favorite of those I took today.

This is the sun setting behind the hills of Glenwood, W.Va., with floodwaters covering a bottom on the Ohio side near the mouth of Swan Creek.

The river is supposed to crest in my area tomorrow. Part of Pomeroy, Ohio, was under water today. I was tempted to drive up there tomorrow, but (a) just getting there could take a while, and (b) emergency services people probably have enough to do without people coming by to look around. If I were still a member of the credentialed media, maybe I would go.

I don't recall heading downriver to look at a flood, so if I go somewhere tomorrow, it will likely be to Greenup, Ky. We'll play it by ear in the morning.

Flood photos coming

Today I made it up the river as far as Point Pleasant. Took lots of pictures. I hope to post them tonight.

Here's one to whet your  appetite.

I drove through water once this evening, but not this deep. When I saw this Iturned around and took a detour.

A photo from last Sunday

The river news this week is high water. A week ago, the water was up but not abnormally so. And the river was covered in a light fog. This is how the East End bridge at Huntington looked, with a little processing to bring out some details.

One thing that would have made picture better would be seeing the M/V Charleston or the M/V O. Nelson Jones in that fog. That was not to be this time. Maybe someday.