XENIA — Historic rainfall in Xenia earlier this week caused floodwaters to damage 91 buildings along Shawnee Creek, forcing residents to evacuate their homes.
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The deluge marks the worst flooding event in parts of Xenia since 1886.
City officials gathered with residents inside council chambers to present their initial flood damage assessment, noting that the community rarely encounters flooding of this magnitude.
Repairing the damaged buildings poses challenges because the affected area along Shawnee Creek is designated as a flood zone.
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Xenia City Manager Brent Merriman explained that current zoning rules affect how property owners can rebuild.
“And under today’s standards, you probably would not be able to build in those locations, and if you were, it would be heavily restricted,” Merriman said. “So these structures typically are very old homes from maybe the late 1800s, early 1900s. So they’re going to have some unique characteristics to begin with.”
