The Ohio River has crested at 60.7 feet as of 1 p.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Much of the region is underwater, and the river cities especially are hunkering down in the face of historic flooding.
While many properties and roads have been affected, cities along the river are not reporting injuries.
“[People] are holding their own,” said Bromley Mayor Mike Denham. “Most of the people in Bromley are used to this.”
Due to its proximity to the river, Bromley has been especially hard-hit by the flooding. Somewhere between 20 to 30 basements in the city have flooded, Denham said, and KY-8, the state route that connects Ludlow and Bromley, has been closed. Currently, the primary route into the city is Highwater Road from the west, which, as its name implies, was built for situations like this.
Denham didn’t have an exact number off-hand when he spoke with LINK nky, but he estimated a few dozen people had already evacuated. He recommended people stay away from their homes if they’re inaccessible until the water recedes in a few days.
Bromley’s neighboring city Ludlow is going through a similar situation. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported so far, said Mayor Chris Wright, but many of the low-lying portions of the city’s north end are partially under water. By the afternoon, the high school football stadium and the adjoining park, Memorial Park were completely under water. The Ludlow Police Department reminded residents of Memorial Park’s closure Monday evening, following complaints that kids had been playing in the water.
“I just really sympathize with the people who were affected by the flooding,” Wright said. When LINK nky spoke with Wright, he said the city would be releasing updates as the situation develops. LINK nky will update this story once more information is available.
Heading eastward, parts of Covington have been more acutely affected than others. Although there is expected flooding along the Ohio, the primary place of concern for Covington has been the area along the Licking River, which, like the Ohio, crested around 60 feet Monday morning.
Some residents in the city’s Latonia neighborhood, specifically residents in the area of Virginia Avenue and 45th Street, were told to evacuate beginning Saturday evening to an emergency shelter at Latonia Elementary, which is still operating as of Monday morning. About 13 people are currently staying at the shelter, as reported by LINK nky’s media partner, WCPO.
Fortunately, a city representative told LINK nky that no injuries have been reported, and no rescue operations have yet been necessary. Firefighters went door to door to keep people informed as the rain fell, and the city plans to release more information if the situation changes, especially if the Licking River crests any higher.
“I am grateful for the swift response of the Covington Public Works, Fire, and Police Departments,” Mayor Ron Washington said in an email statement. “Their staff took immediate action to ensure the City’s floodgates were installed, residents were kept informed of safety plans and a well-organized, limited evacuation was carried out. We should all be proud of their efforts to keep our community safe.”
Moving further east into Bellevue and Dayton, the situation is affecting different parts of the cities in different ways. Dayton Mayor Ben Baker said that his city, all things considered, is doing “remarkably well.”
Although he noted that the parking lot of Queen City River Boats was flooded, comparatively few human beings have been affected. Still, several houses have suffered flooded basements along Kentucky Route 8 towards Fort Thomas.
“My heart goes out to everyone impacted by their house flooding,” Baker said.
Bellevue, on the other hand, has had to deal with flooding close to the river, especially around Bellevue Beach Park. Frank Benke Way is underwater, despite efforts by the city’s public works department to pump the water away.
Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves, along with the public works department, had closed off much of the block Sunday night to allow for water pumping. When he left around 9 p.m. on Sunday, Cleves said, the water level had dropped, but when he checked again the next morning, the water had risen again.
“I was just shocked at how quick the whole bottom street filled up,” Cleves said.
He estimated about fifty houses in the city had been affected by the flooding. No injuries to report, thankfully.
Most of the issues with Fort Thomas have come not in the form of flooding but in the form of landslides. Road slippages were reported on both Memorial Parkway, which has since been reopened, and Mary Ingles Highway between Tower Hill and River Road. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet decided to close that section over the weekend due to the weather interfering with repairs, and it is still closed as of Monday afternoon.
Flooding has also been reported in Wilder, Southgate and parts of Boone County. The transportation cabinet also reported a fuel spill in Boone County on Burlington Pike over the weekend, which has since been cleared.
Newport began closing its floodgates as early as Thursday. LINK nky has reached out to the city for more information.
Now that the rain has stopped, Cleves said, there’s “not a lot stuff you can do, other than wait it out.”
Stay informed
Stay up to date with road closures and emergency notifications with the links below to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s website as well as links to the county emergency management agencies below.
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 6 road closures
- Boone County Facebook page with live updates
- Kenton County Facebook page with live updates
- Campbell County Emergency Management
Emergency shelters
The American Red Cross has opened the following locations throughout Northern Kentucky and its neighboring counties for public use, as reported by WCPO.
- Pendleton County — Northward Christian Camp at 154 Northward Road in Falmouth
- Kenton County — Latonia Elementary School at 3901 Huntington Avenue in Covington
- Dearborn County — Christian Life Center at 201 West Connell in Aurora, Indiana
- Clermont County — New Richmond High School at 1131 Bethel-New Richmond Road in New Richmond, Ohio
- Hamilton County — Oakley Recreation Center at 3882 Paxton Avenue in Cincinnati
How to help
- LINK nky’s content sharing partner, WCPO, is raising money for flood victims. Donate here at wcpo.com/relief.
- Donate to the American Read Cross, which runs the local emergency shelters, at their online donation page
- The state of Kentucky’s Storm Relief Fund provides assistance to flood victims and other victims of severe weather throughout the commonwealth. You can donate at secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/stormrelief/
Did we miss anything? If you know of any areas especially hard hit by flooding or ways that people are trying to help, send us a tip to news@linknky.com. We’ll be sure to add it to our coverage here.