Water bills across Columbus continue to climb but one Southside neighborhood got far more water than expected early Wednesday morning, when a damaged fire hydra
Homeowners are now tearing out carpeting, baseboards, and damaged belongings while working with insurance. They say the destruction could have been prevented with a faster response. November 14, 2025. but one Southside neighborhood got far more water than expected early Wednesday morning, when a damaged fire hydrant sent thousands of gallons rushing into several homes.
Frustrated residents along Rumsey Road, off of South High Street, are facing steep repair bills and demanding answers about why the flooding wasn’t stopped sooner. Jason Hignite told ABC 6 he woke up Wednesday to several inches of water in his basement, despite a dry weather forecast. When he stepped outside, he saw the source: a sheared-off fire hydrant pouring water across his yard. Resident Arthur Hatem had a similar experience, waking up to a “river rushing” directly toward his basement. A car had reportedly struck the hydrant overnight, sending a nonstop torrent into the neighborhood. "I saw a little puddle down in my basement and couldn't figure out where it was coming from," he said. "I saw it was flowing from underneath the foundation. I come out my front door and saw a river rushing right through here through the front. It was going through my backyard and into my neighbor's yard. The water went all the way down to Parsons Avenue and all the way down towards High Street. It was so bad." “I said, ‘It’s flooding some basements,’” Hatem recounted. “And the Water Department representative said, ‘Well, a guy will have to take a shower and grab a coffee before he gets out there.’” The Columbus Water Department told ABC 6 it arrived at the scene less than two hours after Hatem’s first call. Columbus Fire officials confirmed that damaged hydrants fall under the Water Department’s responsibility. "They got the water shut off around 5 o'clock in the morning," Hatem said as he glanced over at his damaged basement. "It took that long. A city as big as Columbus, you think they'd have crews at night running around. That's what upset me the most." Both homeowners are now tearing out carpeting, baseboards, and damaged belongings while working with insurance. "My basement is just a giant mess of leftover moldy water," Hignite said. "A lot of the water damaged and warped some of the boards. Everything is just wrecked. We have to take all of the drywall out. Anything that's been on the ground to two feet up has to go. We're probably going to have to redo the counters since they were soaking in the water and it's contaminated." "I had to tear up all of my carpeting and baseboards in the lower level of my home," Hatem told ABC 6. "I called ServPro and they came and ripped everything out and put all the fans in." Neighbors said they've heard from homeowners impacted living on High Street, Parsons Avenue, Colton Road and Williams Road. Neighbors like Hignite and Hatem agree the destruction could have been prevented with a faster response. “They should have somebody on call,” Hignite said. “Two hours is thousands of dollars worth of damage that could have been avoided. With the amount of money we all pay in taxes we should be able to have like an emergency response team."“I pay $300-$400 quarterly for water,” he said. “You’d think they’d come out and fix issues, but apparently a cup of coffee was more important than preventing property damage.” ABC 6 requested surveillance footage of the hydrant flushing from neighboring businesses, including Smith Dodson Lumber & Millwork and Old Landmark bar.The Columbus Water Department was not available for an on-camera interview Friday but said it would provide a written statement by 5 p.m. ABC 6 is still awaiting that statement.An 18-year-old from Venezuela, who federal prosecutors say was in the United States illegally, is accused of dragging two ICE agents with his car in Columbus.ThThe federal government reopening means Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in Ohio are expected to receive their full benefits, the state said.Cam meets this week's "i"con who will be dotting the Script Ohio at this weekend's Buckeyes game, Joseph Orr.There’s a big change coming to Downtown Columbus traffic this weekend.
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