Two Columbus police officers entered Blacklick Creek near Gender Road on August 20, 2026, as firefighters worked to rescue two people from the water.
Two officers with the Columbus Division of Police went into the water during the response. 10TV reported that a resident from a nearby flooded encampment ran to the Wendy's at 3660 Gender Road to call 911 as rising floodwaters from Blacklick Creek overwhelmed two homeless encampments along the bank; first responders were called around 11:30 a.m.
Police Officers Entered the Water
10TV reported that more than 100 Columbus firefighters, along with a police helicopter and drone team, responded to the Gender Road site after fast-moving floodwaters made it unsafe for crews to launch rescue boats or send in divers. WOSU Public Media reported the creek rescue and officers entering the water. Two police officers went into the water, while firefighters rescued the two people from the creek and assisted the officers.
Two officers with the Columbus Division of Police entered the water; firefighters rescued the two people from the creek and assisted the officers. Some people were hospitalized and expected to be okay.
One Flood, Multiple Rescues Across the City
The Gender Road rescue unfolded amid a broader flash-flooding emergency across Central Ohio, triggered by 1.5 to 3 inches of overnight rain falling on already saturated ground. The downpour was severe enough that Columbus officials activated the Franklinton floodwall and municipal floodgates along Greenlawn and Harmon avenues, the same WOSU report notes. Just 1.5 miles northeast of the encampment site, Columbus firefighters used ropes and buoys that same day to pull a 12-year-old boy swept off his bike out of Blacklick Creek, underscoring how widely the waterway threatened residents that day.
The Columbus Division of Fire's capability to handle such emergencies rests partly on its specialized Dive Rescue and Recovery Team, which includes 15 trailer-mounted water rescue boat units stationed around the city, Hoodline has previously reported.
A Corridor Already Under Scrutiny
Floodwaters put unhoused encampments along the creek in the water's path. All of the stranded individuals were ultimately rescued alive, but what long-term support the city might offer residents of flood-prone encampments along Central Ohio's creeks remains an open question.
