Paul Sheesley needed waders Thursday to navigate his driveway. He was checking out the half-frozen pond that his front yard had become.

Sheesley’s home is one of about 30 along a bend in the Chagrin River, in Willoughby Hills, that got hit with sudden flooding Wednesday night.

"It was just creeping around the side of our garage, and then within 20 minutes, our whole yard and driveway was covered," Sheesley said.

Ice flows and other problems
As river ice melted, chunks of it floated downstream, damming the Chagrin, which overflowed into garages, yards and basements.

City fire officials said the water rose so fast, a rescue crew had to pull about a dozen people, and a lot of pets, out of water up to waist-deep Wednesday night.

Jackie Gagich, Sheesley’s neighbor, was taking pictures of the river from a small bridge near her home Thursday.