The village of Buckeye Lake was ordered under a mandatory evacuation due to severe flooding from persistent rainfall late Thursday evening.
The evacuation notice encompasses all properties west of the state Route 79 and state Route 260 intersection. The village was placed under a voluntary evacuation Thursday, until flooding conditions worsened.
Parts of the mobile home park, Buckeye Lake Estates, and the KOA campground are submerged in water, according to Buckeye Lake Mayor Linda Goodman. She said two water rescues were performed Thursday morning, and several more at Buckeye Lake Estates.
“A lot of people have reached out to us to help, and you know the residents especially the ones that live in the more flooded areas,” Goodman said. “They're concerned, but they're happy, you know, there's people around helping and trying to get them to a safe spot.”
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church is providing shelter and food for displaced residents. The mayor's office believes the water crested Friday morning and shouldn't get higher.
“Our first responders are just very, very, very, very busy,” Goodman said. “Every once in a while, I think we all try to take a few minutes to step away and take some deep breaths and then, you know, you go back at it again because, you know, we're here to serve the residents and we want to do what's right for all of them.”