AURORA, Ind. — Kayla Slayback is cleaning the bathroom, pushing muddy water into the hallway. She lives upstairs. And last weekend, Slayback left her home as the Ohio River flooded downtown.
“Relief.”
That’s how she described feeling when she came back on Thursday — even though she had to borrow boots from her boss to get upstairs.
“At least I have my home back,” Slayback said.
Born and raised in Aurora, she works as a bartender at the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
“It’s been chaos,” said Shasta Clark, the bar manager.
Clark showed us around, stepping around puddles of muddy water. Now that the river has receded, we wanted to see the damage and learn what WCPO 9 News could do to help, because EMA officials say Aurora was the community hit hardest by floods in Dearborn County.
We have more information on their cleanup at the bottom of this article. Email me at keith.bierygolick@wcpo.com if you have a flooding story to share.
Dozens of people are still barred from entering their homes until after inspections from the health department.
At the Eagles bar, there are fans blowing and muddy water in the kitchen still. Clark tells me she believes the damages will cost more than $10,000.
Hear more from those impacted by the flooding and what kind of help they need below:
“It’s devastating,” Clark said. “We can’t help other people because we can’t help ourselves.”
Outside, Aurora Street Superintendent Gregg Plyman looks down Ohio 56. It’s closed while crews work to push mud and debris out of the street so the fire department can clean.
“This is a mess,” Plyman said. “There’s just no other way to explain it.”
He said there’s still much work to be done, and the town can’t do it by itself.
“We just don’t have the manpower,” Plyman said.
Somehow, the Aurora Lions Club doesn’t look like it ever flooded. But the past president of the club assured us it did.
“Covered in water and mud,” said Mike Heffelmire, past president of the Lions Club.
Then, he starts crying. Because he says a group of high school students helped them get it back into shape.
“When we have events like this, we all work together,” Heffelmire said through tears. “People you don’t even know are here to help.”
Want to help?
City officials are asking for volunteers on Saturday and Sunday to help with the cleanup. The work is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Meet at city hall’s fire bay at Third and Main streets.
