NEW RICHMOND, Ohio (WKRC) - Todd Wuerdeman got the first post-flood look at his New Richmond home about 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.
A sump pump struggled to keep up with the five feet of water in his basement.
Wuerdeman had a positive outlook about the weeks ahead of him.
“Clean up. Continue on. It’s not a problem, it’s water. We have flood insurance. We can swim. We’re good," said Wuerdeman.
Wuerdeman’s home was one of about 30 or so structures in New Richmond that were swamped with flood water.
On New Richmond’s Front Street, business owners were starting to clean up after the river dropped a couple of feet from Sunday’s crest. Most are still without power or gas and still have several feet of water in their basements.
“We are very carefully making sure that the electric and gas service is safe,” said Village Administrator Greg Roberts. “We have county inspectors going up and down to look at the accessible properties.”
While business owners swept and hosed debris back into the river on Front Street, crews from two Lowe’s stores delivered cleanup kits. The kits include a five-gallon bucket filled with bleach, gloves, a mop, trash bags and gloves.
“The game plan is to distribute some of these cleaning kits today and as the waters recede come back with a group of 20 to 40 volunteers just to get in the homes and help people clean up,” said Milford Lowe’s store manager Fausto Fuentes.
The Front Street Café survived the flood without taking on any water, except in its basement. Owner Bob Lees expects to be back open Friday with a full kitchen and live music.
“We feel the best way for us to assist the community is to get back open as quickly as possible because this café is the gathering spot for our community.”
