. Harrison, of Ravenna, had come to help her son clean up his house. He has lived on the street for about 18 months. (Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer)

Torrents of rain, unleashed by a series of heavy thunderstorms Thursday, left a wake of flood and wind damage across northern Ohio. Rivers overflowed, basements filled with filthy water, and millions of gallons of raw sewage washed into rushing tributaries and Lake Erie.

States of emergency were declared in Lorain and Huron counties, where people were still being rescued Friday.

Emergencies also were declared in the Cuyahoga County cities of Brecksville, Broadview Heights and North Royalton.

"This is rain of biblical proportions," said Brecksville Fire Chief Ed Egut.

Two people died, and damage estimates for the region reached into the millions of dollars as residents and cleanup crews mopped up muck and water throughout the day.

"It hit us fast," said Stan Cohara of Valley View, who evacuated his family from their Frances Drive home. "It was like someone opened a big faucet. I just spent $30,000 remodeling my kitchen, and now it's shot."

Hundreds of homes and businesses in the southern part of Cuyahoga County saw extensive damage. In North Royalton, six school buildings flooded. "A tidal wave of water came down the hill into the high school," said Mayor Cathy Luks, who logged 300 calls from residents complaining of water damage.

Photo: Flood water from the Cuyahoga River in the business district on Old River Road. in Valley View. (David I. Andersen/The Plain Dealer)

In downtown Brecksville, Chippewa Creek raged Thursday, flooding homes and businesses. Water rose so fast that firefighters had to carry some residents to dry ground and removed others by boat.

Employees at Larsen Lumber and Supply watched as the rising water eroded 20 feet of the creek bank, taking with it roof trusses and bundles of lumber worth an estimated $100,000. The bundles broke up downstream, scattering the boards along the banks.

In Lorain County, rescue workers Friday evacuated homes in LaGrange Township where firefighters rescued two adults, two children and a dog trapped in a flooded home.

In Vermilion, the Coast Guard retrieved about nine boats that broke away from their docks, smashing into other boats and drifting into Lake Erie.

In the Canton area, a teenage boy was killed when a tree crashed into his campsite tent. He was the second to die in the storm, after a firefighter drowned during a rescue Thursday night in Wellington.

In neighboring Huron County, damage estimates reached more than $7 million - including $5 million in lost crops, mostly wheat, soybeans and corn - emergency officials said. Gov. Bob Taft is scheduled to tour Huron and Erie counties today to assess damage.

Lorain County also saw crops destroyed. "Those of you who wanted sweet corn for the Fourth of July, well, it may not come locally, said Alfred DiVencenzo, president of the Lorain County Farm Bureau Federation.

Floodwaters closed various parks throughout the region and canceled some festivals this weekend. Strongsville emergency workers evacuated more than 100 children from Camp Cheerful in the Mill Creek Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks. Some of the kids were in wheelchairs.

Photo: Workers and customers at Larsen Lumber and Supply clean up debris at the business in Brecksville, Ohio, Friday, June 23, 2006. Flooding from Chippewa Creek demolished the backlot of the business. (Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer)

Workers from state and county emergency management agencies fanned out across the region Friday to assess damage.

"This is probably the worst flooding in the last 35 years," said Marty Murphy, assistant director at the Cuyahoga County Department of Justice Affairs, which deals with emergencies.

"We will probably end up with the state asking for federal aid," he said.

Broadview Heights City Council wasn't about to wait to see if aid is coming.

Meeting in an emergency session Friday, the council hired cleanup contractors to sanitize 60 flood-damaged homes in the city.

About 20 angry residents showed up at the meeting, including Allan Palmer of Woodchip Lane. He told city lawmakers his home had been flooded each summer for the last three years.

Palmer slammed down on a table a stack of pictures showing 3 feet of standing water in front of his house. "I'm so mad I could spit!" he shouted.

Anger spilled throughout flooded areas as residents blamed uncontrolled real estate development for their plight.

"I don't think you want to print cuss words," said Kelle Laspisa, who had 4 feet of water in her North Royalton home.

Jim White, executive director of the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan, a group dedicated to cleaning up the river, said development strains storm sewers and natural waterways. "We need to give the streams the elbow room they need to function," he said.

In Independence, the Cuyahoga River reached an unofficial record high level. The record is not official until confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey.

In Solon, the rains overloaded the city's wastewater treatment plan, spilling 300,000 gallons of raw sewage into Tinkers Creek, which feeds the Cuyahoga. The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District dumped another 3 million gallons of partly treated sewage into the river.

Photo: An individual checks out a submerged car on Canal Rd. in Valley View after record flooding from the Cuyahoga River. (David I. Andersen/The Plain Dealer)

In Aurora, Joe Kozelka watched helplessly as raw sewage backed up from floor drains and a toilet and flowed into his Moneta Avenue home.

"It's wretched," he said. "Just brown, nasty, crap water."

As floodwaters rose Thursday afternoon, Allison Whinokur of Brecksville made a tearful call to her husband, Neal Brashear, who works in Westlake, to come home. It took him two hours, driving in the heavy rain and traffic.

He arrived to see 4 feet of water in his family room and garage. "I was mostly concerned about the electricity and my cats touching the water on the stairs," said Whinokur. "I couldn't see the street because it was covered in water, like a lake."

Brashear had the power turned off. As the water receded Friday, Brashear estimated damage at $10,000.

"We've got to worry about mold now," he said.

Despite the declared state of emergency, Brecksville did not cancel its annual Home Days festival.

Thousands of people showed up downtown Friday night to eat corn dogs and listen to live music.

"I suspect people will come out tonight for relief," said Austin Smith, who spent Thursday night bailing water out of Brecksville United Methodist Church.

Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby,who declared the emergency but refused to cancel Home Days, did not show up at the festival. He was home mopping up his basement.

"Our whole house is trashed," said his wife, Patty.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: 216-999-4893