Heavy rains swept through the southern part of the state Saturday, causing flooding that forced the evacuation of about 30 homes in southwest Ohio and temporarily trapping some people in their cars and homes along a state highway in south central Ohio.

In Jackson County in southcentral Ohio, the dam at the Waterloo coal mine reservoir broke and flooded State Route 93, temporarily trapping some people in cars and houses. Everyone was rescued, and no injuries were reported, said sheriff’s deputy Aaron Riley.

The 30 homes evacuated in the village of Fairfax, just east of Cincinnati, were damaged when water overflowed from a creek Saturday morning, authorities said.

&uot;We took about 10 people out by boat today, because the water came up so quickly, but no one was injured,&uot; said Capt. Scott Childs of the Little Miami Fire Rescue Unit.

Childs said the water flooded basements and caused damage to the first floors of some homes in Fairfax. Two people died in that village in 2001 when flooding caused a wall of their basement to collapse.

The water receded after about an hour, but Childs said the evacuation would remain in force through the weekend because more storms were expected overnight.

&uot;People have been allowed to go back to their homes for cleanup today," he said. "But the power has been cut, so they can’t stay there tonight."

In Delhi Township west of Cincinnati, at least 20 homes were damaged when storm sewers backed up, but there were no forced evacuations, authorities said.

The Red Cross set up shelters in both Cincinnati suburbs to assist residents, said Ashley Young, spokeswoman for the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.

She said the shelters would remain open through the weekend.

In Dayton, thunderstorms and the threat of severe weather canceled most of the opening day of an air show at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Opening ceremonies for Air Power 2003 were under way when storms moved into the area, bringing thunder and torrential rain. The event’s planners decided to cancel the day’s events about midday, but Air Power coordinator Dave Egner said the outdoor part of the show would resume Sunday.

Water was reported on roads in numerous southern Ohio counties on Saturday, said Robin Gerhardt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. She said there also were reports of trees down in Butler and Hamilton counties and 1-inch hail was reported in Clermont and Montgomery counties.