The heavens really opened up and rain came down in torrents the afternoon of Friday, July 5. The mircroburst came down so fast that it resulted in pockets of flooding throughout North Royalton, Parma, Parma Heights and Brooklyn. “The National Weather Service, meanwhile, found spikes in the rainfall rates of about 5.5 inches per hour in parts of southern Parma and northern North Royalton,” according to city officials.
The National Weather Service Cleveland tweeted “Radar estimates near North Royalton were between 2.0 and 2.5 inches w/ 2.0 to 3.5 inches as you neared Parma. We had a spotter report of 2 inches from North Royalton. The sewer district gage in NR had 2.3 inches (of which 1.6 inches fell in 35 min). A 30-min total of 1.6 inches correlates to a 25 yr recurrence – in other words has a 4% chance of occurring in any given year.”
The Sunrise Cove development, Tilby and Cedarwood Estates were the hardest hit. At Sunrise Cove, “unfortunately, it bounces out from the creek and brings other debris down the hill. Two buildings were affected,” said Stefanik. He said that the city will look into installing bafflers to restrain some of the downfall, coming down the hill in the hopes to alleviate that problem in the future. “They call it Ridge Road for a reason.” In Cedarwood, only one or two, which was a lot less than before the retention basin was installed, noted Mayor Bob Stefanik. In the Pamela Drive area, a few people were flooded there. People’s rain gauges were showing six inches over there.”
The Service Department, Wastewater Department and Parks Department worked the weekend to help with the cleanup. “It was significantly less than before, but there are still pockets that need attention. That’s why we had the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District out here last weekend during the cleanup,” said Stefanik. He noted, though, that there will always be a potential for flooding. “There is no sewer system that can handle that amount of water in the period of time.”
The cities of North Royalton, Parma and Parma Heights have been working with the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the NEORSD to assess the overall damage caused by the storm. “City officials from the three cities met with the county’s OEM team, NEORSD officials, and a representative from Congressman Anthony Gonzalez’s office to discuss potential resources for residents and businesses hit by flooding. Conducting a damage assessment in the communities is important for seeking potential state and federal assistance,” according to city officials. Residents should know, however, that the qualification for those types of resources usually require a high cost damage.
“The last time we got it was during hurricane Sandy, but that was because the damage was widespread,” said Stefanik. “Here there were only pockets here and there. Residents are still urged to submit their information.” Those residents and businesses affected can fill out the form that is available on the City’s website at www.northroyalton.org and email it to Bruce Campbell at bcampbell@northroyalton.org. This data will help the county and city calculate the total flooding damage.


By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer