Six inches of rain in under 24 hours left every park and trail in Gahanna closed as of Aug. 20, with no reopening timeline announced.
The city posted its most recent update at 4 p.m. Thursday, confirming that water had receded in many areas but that cleanup crews were still working across the park system. As of Aug. 21, no further update had appeared on the city's alert page.
Four of the six inches fell in the early morning hours Thursday, on top of ground and waterways already saturated from days of prior rainfall. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Franklin County at approximately 4:45 a.m., according to NBC4. Emergency crews responded to water rescues in Gahanna, Downtown Columbus, North Linden and Grove City.
Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools canceled classes for the day, as we reported Thursday. In New Albany, officials warned motorists about hazardous high water on portions of Morse Road, Beech Road and S.R. 161 as early as 5 a.m., and Gahanna police officers helped push stalled vehicles off U.S. 62 near Morse Road, 10TV reported.
City says sewers not to blame
In its Thursday afternoon update, the city told homeowners the flooding was caused by the extraordinary rainfall, not by a failure in Gahanna's water or sanitary sewer system. The city encouraged residents whose homes were damaged to contact their homeowners insurance provider to discuss coverage.
The city also urged residents to stay out of floodwater and follow posted closure signs. Its noon update Thursday warned that standing water can be deeper or faster-moving than it appears and may hide debris.
Flood barriers in the pipeline
Gahanna City Council in July 2026 authorized the city to apply for a NatureWorks grant for temporary flood barriers tied to the Creekside Reimagined Project. According to council records, Senior Director of Operations Kevin Schultz said the barriers would be deployed only when flooding approaching a 100-year event is anticipated. Whether those barriers were in place for Thursday's storm is unclear; the grant application was still pending as of the July meeting.
What residents should know
- Parks and trails: All remain closed citywide. No reopening date has been set. Watch for posted signs.
- Roads: Most main thoroughfares reopened by midday Thursday.
- Insurance: The city says contact your homeowners insurance provider if your home was damaged.
- Safety: Stay out of standing water. Keep children and pets away from flooded areas.
The city said it would continue to monitor conditions and post updates to gahanna.gov.
