Gov. Mike DeWine visits Crooksville to assess the damage

CROOKSVILLE, Ohio – Gov. Mike DeWine was joined by state legislators, county commissioners, and Ohio EMA officials at the Crooksville Fire Department on Wednesday to discuss the impact of the major floods and what comes next. We’ll break down some of the major takeaways from that press conference.

“These communities have been hit exceedingly hard, in a historic way. They’ve been hit before with water challenges but this certainly is the worst,” DeWine said.

Perry and Muskingum County communities saw historic flooding earlier this week with power outages, totaled vehicles, and ruined homes. Rescue efforts were made through the collaborative efforts of over 40 law enforcement and EMS departments from across Ohio and even from West Virginia.

“…everyone did an absolutely phenomenal, phenomenal job. And I think that, you know, that story may never totally be told,” DeWine said.

The water may have receded, but the work is far from over and the need for assistance could go on for weeks. Supplies can be donated at the Crooksville Village Park where those affected can also retrieve those supplies.

“I would ask Ohioans, particularly in the local area, to continue with the donations. Your donations of water cleaning supplies, nonperishable foods are still very, very important. Personal aides, hygiene aides…” said Tim Schaffer, the Republican State Senator for the 20th district.

The Ohio EMA and their county offices will start assessing the damage to personal and public properties. Sima Merick, the Ohio EMA Director, is asking for residents to be as upfront and candid about the extent of damages and loss. If enough loss is documented across the state of Ohio and in counties like Muskingum and Perry County, a federal state of emergency could be declared. That would open additional resources to assist in both short term and long term recovery.

“…if we don’t meet federal assistance, we still have a lot of state agencies and the ability to help people recover, both short term and long term recovery. It’s a process. It can take a little bit of time,” Merick said.

WHIZ live-streamed the press conference on Facebook where many viewers left comments concerned about potential price gouging from opportunistic gas stations and hotels. I asked DeWine about these concerns and he explained what actions should be taken if you see it happening.

“The Attorney Generals made it very clear that they’ll take that very seriously. They should report that to the Ohio Attorney General’s office,” DeWine said. “And I would just say, as governor, we expect people not to be price gouging. We expect people to keep whatever price they had. They have a right to get paid but they don’t have a right to take advantage of people who are having some of the worst days of their lives.”

For those in need of temporary housing, the Red Cross is offering shelter at the Perry County Fairgrounds and trailer where people can shower has been set up at the Crooksville Village Park.

“These are resilient communities. These are resilient counties and they will come back as they always have come back. Our job is to help them figure out how to do that and to provide the assistance that we can,” DeWine said.

See the press conference in full in the video below.