Dozens of homes in Copley Township inundated with water

COPLEY TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Flood waters may be gone, but the damage has already been done. Copley Township was hit hard by Monday night's storms and torrential rains, leaving dozens of people left to clean up the mess.

Copley Township resident Tom Flory heard the heavy rain around 2:30 a.m., but never imagined he'd wake up to a nightmare.

"I've lived here all my life, about 75 years," he said, adding he's never seen Mother Nature destroy so much, so quick.

Flory grew up in the house across the street from where he lives now. He owns and rents it, along with two other homes next door. They're all special to him because his father built them. Sadly, every home's basement is flooded.

"It's a family thing and it's a little hard to accept."

Not far from Flory's home and his rental properties, the Benjamin family needed the help of the Summit County Swift Water Rescue Team. The crew was able to safely get the family, and their three dogs, out of their home. The Benjamin's grabbed what they could.

"It gave us the opportunity to pack some clothes, some medicine. I didn't have time grab my beer, so I'm going to need some help from the listeners," said Doug Benjamin.

But the Benjamin's are worried about their two cats which were left behind.

"We leave them when we go on overnight trips, but this is a little bit different. This is we're leaving because we're in some sort of danger."

One street away there was even more flooding trouble.

"It's just been an awful experience," explained a frustrated Michele Caprez who lives in a subdivision in Copley Township.

Her basement carpet and furniture are ruined, but all she cared about was saving one piece of furniture -- a cedar chest made by her father.

"He's no longer here so it would have hurt if I lost that," said Caprez.

Copley Police Chief Mike Mier estimates 50 homes were damaged from flooding. But despite the destruction, most people affected by the flooding were counting their blessings.

"It's a force of nature and we don't have any control over it and we're just thankful we're OK," said Flory.

Not only were residents frustrated by the damage left behind by Mother Nature, but drivers as well. The right lane of US 224 westbound looked like a raging river and was closed for several hours until the flood waters receded. Traffic was stalled for several miles from the Kenmore Leg to Cleveland Massillon Road. Currently, the intersection of Copley Road and St. Michaels Avenue is closed because of excessive water.

In nearby Cuyahoga Falls, Riverview Road, from Bath Road to Ira Road, also Akron Peninsula Road, from Ira Road to Bolanz Road, are closed because of flooding.

Over on Rt. 94 in Medina County, just south of Mattingly Road in Hinckley Township, is closed due to a ditch failure. Northbound motorists can take Rt. 94 to Rt. 303 and head west. Take that to Rt. 3 north to Rt. 82 east to Rt. 94. It's the reverse for southbound drivers. Rt. 94 will remain closed until emergency repairs can be made.