When the Water Rises: Understanding Flooding in Athens County

Flooding is the most significant natural hazard in Appalachian Ohio. In Athens County, it happens every single year. But for most of the county's rural areas, there were no maps, no data, and no tools to help communities understand where floodwaters go, what they damage, or where to focus restoration work first. Rural Action's Watershed team partnered with Athens County planners and BSC Consultants to change that. Using advanced watershed modeling software, the team created the first countywide flood map for Athens County, built on satellite data, soil types, elevation, infrastructure, and real observations submitted by community members who have lived with flooding for generations. In this video, watershed scientist Rian Gilliom walks us through how the model works and what it means for the future of roads, farms, and communities across the region. Landowner Don Adleta shares what flooding has cost him personally, and why this kind of data matters to people trying to protect what they've built. This is what it looks like to get ahead of a problem that has always been treated as inevitable.