Photo by Shelley Hanson Dollar General employee Eric Edward hoses mud off the sidewalk near his store on Tuesday afternoon following flash flooding at the Elm Terrace Shopping Plaza on Monday afternoon.

WHEELING – Elm Terrace Shopping Plaza business owners were busy Tuesday cleaning muddy water from their shops after a short but powerful storm flooded the area Monday afternoon.

The deluge caused storm drains to back up, with water shooting up to 4 feet from some drains and runoff flowing down hills in the neighborhood into parking lots and businesses.

Jade Waligura, president of National Equipment Company, said his new building took on some water, mostly in the back of the structure. He noted that compared to other businesses, they did not have as much to clean up.

Dollar General employee Eric Edwards was busy hosing mud off the sidewalk in front of the store. The interior did take on some water, but there was no major damage.

“I had to squeegee out the water,” he said.

Michelle Cusano, an administrative assistant with OCR Restoration, was helping a crew clean up inside Bat24. The business took on so much water that damaged drywall was being removed.

Jennifer Gooch, owner of Ohio Valley Awards, said during the flood she was forced to grab trophies and other items and place them higher so they would not be damaged. Water inside her business was about 2 to 3 inches deep.

She said her husband and another man waded through waist-deep water to try to reach and unclog a drain so the water would recede.

“The city needs to do something,” Gooch said, noting a similar flood occurred at the site last June 26. “It’s not cheap to pay for this cleaning.”

Jeremy Schreiber, owner of Enlighten Health Care, said it was about 4:30 p.m. Monday when his employees called him about water rising in the shopping center parking lot.

“My wife was in a panic,” he said, noting she runs Enlighten Aesthetics next door. “The water was strong enough that a manhole cover was kicked off. Behind National Equipment Company, water was shooting 4 feet into the air.”

Schreiber said his business also took on water in late June last year. He believes there may be a blockage in one of the drainage pipes that city of Wheeling officials should address.

“It happened last year and nothing was done and it happened this year. It’s a big problem. I’m trying to run a business down here,” he said.

Schreiber said there was damage to flooring and drywall.

The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department was on scene Tuesday offering tetanus and hepatitis A vaccine shots to people involved in cleanup efforts. Administrator Howard Gamble said a total of 25 shots had been given by Tuesday afternoon.