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Don't Live In A Flood Plain? Still Prepare For Heavy Rains, City Official Says

Ann Thompson
/
WVXU
In August 2016, Norwood School District employees were power washing chairs from the cafeteria where water was chest deep.

With at least three 100-year flood incidents in the last two years, the director of Cincinnati's Office of Environment and Sustainability is suggesting residents should be more prepared for flash flooding.

Larry Falkin says we are prepared for snow, but not so much for heavy rain. "When the weatherperson tells us there's snow in the forecast, there are certain preparations that we make in order to be ready when the snow comes," he says. "We've not historically been subject to flash flooding, and when the weatherperson tells us there's a risk of extreme thunderstorms, we don't have that same checklist of things that we do."

Who Should Be Concerned?

Falkin says you don't have to live in a flood plain to be in danger. "For a long time we've thought that flood properties are the properties next to rivers and streams, and then we see people being rescued by boat from the Norwood Lateral and we think, 'oh, it's different now.'"

Falkin suggests putting basement items in plastic bins and keeping them up on shelves to avoid damage in the event of heavy rain. Some locations, he says, should think about putting backflow devices in drains. People also need to get themselves to safety when events like this happen.

Falkin doesn't see a let-up in extreme weather. Last year Cincinnati established an Extreme Weather Task Force to be more prepared.

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.