Clean-up continues across Summit County following the extreme rain event on August 8. At the Noisy Oyster in Akron, flash flooding left behind mud-caked floors and water marks on walls showing just how high it reached.
Several inches of rain came down fast in the storm.
"After just a couple of minutes, the floor kind of seized and massive amounts of water came in," said Noisy Oyster owner Jonathan Curtis.
“We are still cleaning up,” Curtis said. “We got a good portion of the inside cleaned out. We’re doing pretty good that way. And right now, we're trying to get equipment cleaned out."
Curtis submitted damage reports to Summit County which could result in state funding for the clean-up. According to Curtis, for now, it’s the little things getting him through each day.
"I think all of us had moments where we've looked at everything that we're doing and think we're never going to get this done, it's impossible,” said Curtis. “And then you get some stuff done or somebody comes and does something for you and you're like, oh, maybe this isn't as insurmountable as you'd think it would be."
“Fantastic” is how Curtis characterizes the community support. A fundraiser benefiting the Noisy Oyster is planned for Thursday and a Go Fund Me account was created online.
Though plans are tentative, Curtis is considering re-opening the restaurant soon.
“We're not trying to make too many promises, we're hoping, sometime early next week,” said Curtis, of a planned reopening.
Meanwhile, Summit County is accepting damage surveys until August 21. On Saturday, Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in eight counties, including Summit. The flash floods came two days after severe storms including five tornadoes ripped through the region.
“We are in this for the duration and will continue to help local communities in Northeast Ohio as they recover from the damage left by the storm, should we receive any new request for services the State is able to provide," DeWine said in a statement.
Once all damage surveys are collected, The Ohio Emergency Management Agency will review the surveys and determine the need for any assistance.
