A torrential rain that dropped as much as five inches of precipitation on parts of the county in just two hours on Monday night resulted in massive flooding.
The rain, which hit in the early evening hours, closed county roads as deep water raced across roads, keeping motorists from passing.
The community of East Enterprise was hit the hardest; with officials closing roads there temporarily; and other areas along State Road 250 to the west were also impassable due to high water.
Along Fairview Road, flood waters stopped travel; and other roads like Plum Creek, Adkinson Hill, and areas of Bradford Road joined the list of flooded roads.
But the worst area hit by the rains and flooding was Markland Pike, a main thoroughfare connecting East Enterprise to Markland and State Road 156.
John Day, acting superintendent of the Switzerland County Highway Department, said that the rushing water has caused major damage to Markland Pike, but others escaped more severe damage.
“Overall, the roads aren’t too bad except for Markland Pike,” John Day said on Tuesday morning. “Markland Pike got it the worst. It’s one lane at Adkinson Hill Road coming from highway 156 up.”
John Day said that the one lane portion of Markland Pike doesn’t last long, but drivers need to exercise extreme caution when traveling in that area.
He also said that Melock Road where it meets Markland Pike suffered severe damage, as the pavement has heaved up due to water running beneath and over it.
“Other than those, the ones that were already closed, Adkinson Hill and Popcorn Ridge, which we’ve had closed for probably two months because of slips, are still closed. Some people are still using them, but they are closed to traffic.”
John Day said that he heard reports from people saying five inches of rain fell in the East Enterprise area; while he got about 2 1/2-inches of rain at his home near Mount Sterling. Vevay didn’t get as much rain as other areas of the county; and communities all around the county lost power for varying amounts of time.
“Towards the Enterprise area and down Markland Pike all are reporting at least 4 1/2 inches,” John Day said. “That part of the county was hit the hardest. Log Lick and that area down in there, they got a pretty good amount, but those roads are passable now.”
He said that there is no timeline for restoring Markland Pike to full use, noting that the road will probably stay one lane for awhile while county officials figure out what they are going to do and how they are going to fix it.
“People just need to be careful and take their time when they pass through there,” John Day said. “Just watch out for some rough road through that area.”