NEW RICHMOND, Ohio — As the Ohio River recedes to normal water levels, New Richmond and Clermont County officials provided an update on the scope of flood damage in the village.
As of Friday, it's been reported that approximately 89 homes and businesses experienced flood damage.
"Thank you to the residents of New Richmond and surrounding communities in Clermont County for your patience and your trust in all of us," Clermont County Commissioner David Painter said. "We know that you're anxious to get back in your homes, and we're working hard on our end to help."
WATCH: How neighbors in New Richmond are coming together to support one another after a crisis
Over the weekend, crews with the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District will begin debris removal throughout affected communities.
"Set your debris in one pile (and) your limbs and (bushes) in the other," New Richmond Village Administrator Kathryn Bailey said. "We have volunteer groups that are coming around throughout the weekend to get this place (in) ship shape and back cleaned up."
Volunteers throughout the village, like Matthew 25: Ministries Disaster Relief Director Katie Schimmoeller, are working to provide free resources to those in need, too.
"We see communities come together, we see neighbors bound together, and we're always impressed by that," she said.
Her team is providing free laundry services to affected residents throughout the weekend outside of First Baptist Church, which is located at 213 Western Avenue in New Richmond.
"We see what a fresh load of laundry can mean for people," Schimmoeller said. "That little sense of normalcy can almost make them feel human again."
Inside the church, First Baptist members are manning a makeshift supply shop, handing out free toiletries and cleaning items to those who need them.
The list of items available as of Friday at 2 p.m. is as follows:
- Hand sanitizer
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Deodorant
- Face masks and gloves
- Paper towels
- Toilet paper
- Wipes
- Baby formula and diapers
- Cups and bottles
If you're interested in helping, church volunteers ask you to bring any of the above items to First Baptist Church between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through at least Saturday.
"Having this easily accessible when you can't afford it, or you're going through this disaster that people are going through, it makes it easier," said Amy Earl, a church volunteer. "If you need help, come on down. Don't be shy. Don't be afraid."
Earl said about 20 people have utilized the church's resources as of Friday afternoon. We met one of those people, Keely Kunkle.
"It means everything. I mean, financially, you're depleted because you're just trying to survive," she said. "It's really dirty, it's nasty and we just got a lot of cleanup to do."
Businesses along Front Street, which found themselves underwater earlier this week, shared in Kunkle's sentiment.
"We have fared well compared to other people," said Amanda Wheeler, owner of Wholy Beans Coffee House. "We're just trying to make sure everyone else around us is doing good as well."
Wheeler and a handful of neighboring business owners were the first to open back up after the village's downtown area was ravaged by flood waters.
While the coffee shop dodged the worst of the rising waters, it was forced to remain closed all week, hurting business.
"We are a small business, so the impact to us feels probably a little bit greater than, like, your corporate chain business," said Kara Toennisson, general manager and daughter of Wheeler. "We've got a good team that relies on full-time work during the week. So, you know, they missed out on majority of their hours this week."
We asked the mother-daughter duo how we could help, and their message was to spread the word: New Richmond businesses are back open and need your support more than ever.
"Come and visit us. Come and eat with us. Come and shop with us," said Bailey.
