Ravenna neighbors, business owners frustrated over constant flooding

RAVENNA, Ohio (WOIO) – People in Ravenna say they are running out of patience after they have had to deal with reoccurring flooding from storms for the past couple of weeks.

Some say they are even out thousands of dollars from flood damage.

19 News spoke to Jennifer Alexander, who lives on East Central Avenue. She says the basement of her home has flooded from storms four times in the past three weeks.

“It keeps getting worse. I‘ve gotten four inches now of water in my basement,” says Alexander.

When the flooding happens, Alexander says it takes about two weeks to dry out her basement.

“It smells terrible right now and I am left without hot water for a few days,” says Alexander.

19 News also spoke to Fred Miavitz, who owns Freddie’s Hobbies. He says when he walked into this store on Aug. 8, there was about two feet of water.

Then, two weeks later, when it rained again, his store had another foot of water.

“The first time we roll with it, but then the second time it was like this is getting old,” says Miavitz.

Both Alexander and Miavitz are out thousands of dollars from the flood damage and constantly having to clean it up.

“We lost probably $20,000 worth of merchandise and displays. Like I said, two feet of water and the way the displays are these days, it sucks the water up and we just throw them all away,” says Miavitz.

They both say they have reached out to the city about the problem. They say they believe it stems from the storm drains. However, they have not heard back.

“We have not got any word from city officials on who is going to pay for things or fix the drainage pipes, so we don’t have to have this happen,” says Alexander.

“The city takes out money for storm sewer run off, puts it into a fund, that eventually we shouldn’t have to deal with this,” says Miavitz. “My questions is where is that money going, and why don’t we have a plan already?”

19 News reached out to both the mayor and the Engineering Department for the city of Ravenna. This story will be updated if we hear back.

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