Governor Calls Illinois Flood Damage Worst in 5 Years

Gov. Richard Celeste toured this flood-ravaged central Ohio town Friday, viewing what one aide described as “horrible, horrible” damage and appointing a group of officials to mobilize aid for those hardest hit.

Damage was estimated at $19 million in two north-central counties inundated Thursday when two creeks overflowed.

“It is the worst flood damage I have seen in the last five years,” Celeste said Friday after finishing a 1 1/2 hour-helicopter tour and a stop in Bellville. “Those communities have really done a great job in the initial stages of coping with disaster . . . but their work is just beginning.”

Celeste declared a state of emergency in Richland, Morrow, Delaware and Marion counties and called 60 Ohio national guardsmen after mayors of the Richland County communities of Bellville and Shelby--the hardest hit--asked for help.

The guardsmen, who were expected to be on duty through the weekend, spent Friday patrolling damaged areas in the two towns and helping police.

About 500 people in Shelby and 50 to 100 in Bellville were evacuated when floodwaters from the Black Fork and the Clear Fork creeks began to rise rapidly. Most were able to return to their homes by Friday.

“What we saw was just horrible, horrible,” said Celeste spokeswoman Debra Phillips, who accompanied the governor. “We saw a house pushed 50 feet where water had just ravaged it and shoved it against some trees.”

At his stop in Bellville, a village of about 1,800 people, Celeste spoke with Mayor Carolynn Studenmund and other local officials before taking a half-hour walking tour of the damage.

“I cannot believe the devastation water does,” said the mayor, who described the flooding as the worst in almost three decades. “It very quickly came up. In a short span of time, there was a tremendous amount of water.”

Phillips said help will come swiftly for the victims, many of whom said they had no flood insurance. Celeste on Friday appointed Lt. Gov. Paul Leonard to head a team that will find what federal aid is available and organize local assistance efforts.