FINDLAY — Flooding in Findlay is certainly nothing new.

The city and the river that runs through it, the Blanchard, have battled regularly over the past century, though major flood events have become more frequent in the past decade.

RELATED: Findlay residents cope with wrath of high river

Joy Bennett, curator and archivist at the Hancock Historical Museum, said floods in Findlay are expected.

“It's pretty standard, ‘Oh it's raining, I guess we should prepare for a flood,’” she said. “We are really hoping to have something done about it so that we are not flooding every time it rains.”

The Blanchard’s highest crest in Findlay was recorded in 1913, when it reached 18.50 feet; flooding after Thursday’s heavy rain was forecast Friday to top out just shy of 17 feet.

In February, 1959, ice jams at the Main Street and Blanchard Street bridges caused significant flooding in Findlay, and portions of Hardin, Putnam, and Hancock counties suffered heavy damage from flooding of the Blanchard and Eagle Creek, a tributary.

Other floods occurred in 1963 and 1976, and a June, 1981, flood caused Findlay residents to evacuate.

The 1981 flooding followed an all-day, torrential downpour that closed roads and swelled streams throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

The Blanchard crested at about 17 feet in Findlay, where water reached eight feet above street level on the city’s southeast side and Main Street had enough water to cover parking meters. The National Guard was called in to patrol the stricken city, which had the added problem of gawkers trying to drive in to see the flooding.

Also, I-75 was shut down for a time between Bluffton and Lima. President Ronald Reagan declared a federal disaster area in parts of Putnam, Hancock, and Wyandot counties after inundation destroyed hundreds of buildings.

At the time, Findlay residents and officials noted the major damage to the community, but also pointed out that more serious flooding occurred in 1913.

Another flood in late December, 1990, caused minor damage to about 100 homes and 25 businesses and forced about 20 evacuations.

But recently, major floods have become more frequent, starting with the massive August, 2007 flood, following another barrage of summer thunderstorms, that caused about $100 million in damage in Findlay. The Blanchard’s crest reached 18.46 feet, just below the 1913 record.

Hundreds of people were forced to stay in emergency shelters. Flooding destroyed the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, the Putnam County sewage treatment plant, and more. About 4,000 home and business owners applied for federal emergency assistance, and a 92-year-old man died in Blanchard Township when he tried to escape his car that was trapped in high water.

Since then, the Blanchard has flooded in Findlay several more times, prompting combined efforts to try to develop long-term flood mitigation efforts in the city and surrounding areas. Among those floods was one the following winter producing the Blanchard’s fifth-highest crest.

Most who live in Findlay’s oft-flooded areas tend to be prepared when heavy rain hits the town, Ms. Bennett said. Unfortunately, she said, parts of the city flooded this week that don’t typically flood.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.

First Published July 15, 2017, 4:00 a.m.