OXFORD – Water began surging across Rt. 12 a few hundred feet north of county Rt. 4 around 10 a.m. Tuesday; by 2 p.m., the road was closed to traffic. The steady downpour quickly filled the Fly Meadow creek, causing great amounts of runoff. It was a sight all too familiar to Oxford residents having suffered considerable damage during the flood this past June.

Water also rushed into local fields and low-lying areas including a few homes that had their yards drowned with up to 5 inches of water. One local residence was forced to use bails of hay to divert runoff in order to keep their home from being damaged. Officials were forced to close Rt. 12 from Rt. 220 all the way north to the Halfway House Bridge, diverting traffic on a detour along East River Road. By late Tuesday evening, Rt. 12 was again open for traffic; however a portion of it still remained under nearly an inch of water. A 20 mph zone is temporarily in place until drainage is at a safer level.