Riverfront communities are preparing for flood cleanup as the Ohio River and its tributaries start to recede.
The river crested at 60.79 feet Monday. It’s expected to drop to a minor flood stage Thursday and return to action stage Friday morning, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
If you've been impacted by the overflowing Ohio River, here's how to get help.
Covington
Covington is waiting for the river to fall more before launching full-fledged cleanup efforts.
Mayor Ron Washington says the Licking-Riverside and Latonia neighborhoods are hit hardest by flooding, and many streets are still underwater. A mobile home park bordering the Licking River had to be evacuated earlier in the week.
“What we're seeing ... is that the Licking River and Ohio River is slowly returning to its normal depths — but that's only been by about one or two feet,” Washington said.
Public works crews are on standby. Once the river returns to its normal level, they will hose down streets and remove debris like downed trees. The fire department also will be on-call to help with basement flooding.
“If there is still a large amount of water, the fire department will come and they will help you out with that and try to remove the water — pump your basement,” Washington said. “But they will not do that until the river has completely withdrawn.”
He says there’s no estimate of how long the cleanup will take, or the extent of the damage yet.
“We just won't know until the river returns,” Washington said.
Kenton County has declared a local State of Emergency to aid recovery.
Campbell County
Campbell County is collecting flood damage reports and getting ready to help residents with storm cleanup. There is an online damage survey for primary residences. It requires four photographs of damage, and must be filled out by April 16. Examples include damage to vehicles, roofs, and foundations. The assistant county administrator says submitting the report doesn't guarantee assistance, but it's required in order to request FEMA aid.
Campbell County also is providing free trash vouchers for households affected by flooding. That will cover the disposal of damaged things like drywall, carpet, furniture and tree limbs. The vouchers will be accepted by Rumpke at their Covington transfer station, and the Pendleton County landfill.
Cincinnati
In Cincinnati, crews are starting to assess damage from this week’s flooding.
The city has identified approximately 700 addresses in the Central Business District, East End, California, and Riverside neighborhoods as potentially impacted, according to a press release. Starting Friday, buildings and inspections staff will go door-to-door to assess properties.
Once waters recede from streets, the Department of Public Services will begin cleanup efforts, such as patching potholes, removing downed branches, and repairing any other damaged infrastructure.
Cincinnati Parks is also preparing for large-scale cleanup efforts in the 60-acres of greenspace along the river, including Smale Park, Yeatman’s Cove, and Sawyer Point, according to a press release.
Crews will remove hundreds of sandbags and powerwash all surfaces to get rid of silt and mud, which could be several inches thick. They will replace benches, trash cans, and anything else displaced by the floods.
People should not plan on visiting the Downtown riverfront parks this weekend. The parks department anticipates parks will be cleaned up and accessible by mid to late next week.
Anywhere in Hamilton County
Hamilton County also has declared a State of Emergency. The Emergency Management Agency says county residents can get a clean-up kit by calling 211, or visiting fire stations in Hooven, North Bend, and Anderson Township. (Cincinnati residents should call 311.) The kits include buckets, sponges, gloves, trash bags, cleaners, and face masks.
New Richmond
New Richmond Village Administrator Kathryn Bailey spoke to WVXU via phone from the village municipal building Wednesday. City crews had to take her there by boat that morning because it was still surrounded by water.
About 100 homes and other properties in and around the village have been damaged by the flood, and all the businesses in the city's historic downtown are closed. Flood waters have overtaken many of the village's downtown streets. Bailey says New Richmond Police will take residents and business owners via boat to their properties.
"We want to make sure everyone can get their meds and their clothes," she said. "We do have a shower and a laundromat set up at the First Baptist Church. So we've got lots of things for people to help them."
The church, which is on higher ground, also has a food pantry, and a temporary shelter has been set up at New Richmond's school campus for people who had to leave their homes. Only a handful of people have used that shelter so far, Bailey says — most of the 25 who evacuated their houses have been staying with friends or family.
As the river was cresting Monday evening, police patrolled the flooded area on ATVs while people kayaked through the streets, took pictures, and waded through the water in rubber boots. Lifelong New Richmond resident Stuart Vincent was riding bikes with his son on one of the few dry roads south of Route 52 in the village. It was a welcome break from watching the river levels.
"We were nervous all day yesterday, because they kept increasing it. Every hour they were bumping it up a little bit," he said of the National Weather Service's estimates. The river got within five feet of the house he bought in 2021 before stopping, Vincent said. "We're more comfortable now."
Vincent said some people near him weren't so lucky. A nearby apartment building was surrounded by water Monday night, he said, and at least one resident was still there choosing to ride the flood out.
Some residents shrugged the flood off, saying it's just part of living on the river. But this is the worst in at least a decade. Vincent was seven years old when the infamous flood of 1997 swept through the village. He says this one isn't nearly as bad, but it's more severe than the last major flood in 2018. The river crested at 60.5 feet that year, and roughly a third of the village was underwater.
"It's a little bit worse than that," he said. "Some of my neighbors say that even though it's within a foot of [the river levels in] 2018, it feels worse."
Village administrator Bailey says more help is on the way. Village works employees are working to address the damage they can now. Four volunteer cleanup crews are arriving Thursday, as are dumpsters the village is providing to help public works crews, residents and business owners clear flood debris. Officials and residents from the wider Clermont County area are also chipping in to help.
"The big focus right now is of course on cleanup," she says. "It's a kind of total team effort."
The major concern in coming days will be restoring utility services to homes and businesses, a process that will require safety inspections. Bailey says the city is providing multiple ways for people to schedule inspections free of charge, including via the village's website.
Some properties will likely be able to return to normal function quickly after the waters fully recede. Others sustained more extensive flood damage and could take weeks to repair, Bailey said.
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