CINCINNATI, OH – East Side businesses are underwater after brutal flash floods ripped through Hyde Park and Oakley Friday night, leaving a trail of destruction and a whole lotta heartache. The skies opened up around 3 p.m., followed by a flash flood warning just a couple of hours later. That timing? It was a gut punch, catching commuters and workers off guard, putting property and equipment in serious jeopardy. This ain't no joke, folks.
APOLLO HOME SWAMPED
Mike Knudsen from Apollo Home described the chaos: “They had to pile into one of our box trucks and actually just evacuate as soon as possible because the parking lot at that point was almost completely covered.” Apollo Home is just one of twenty businesses along a single stretch of Madison Road that got hammered. While most of their vans, being take-home rides, were spared, the inside of their building was swallowed by four feet of water. “Every office, every desk, every cubicle in the building is a total loss,” Knudsen declared. The irony isn't lost on him: “Our core business is HVAC, so heating and cooling, any sort of plumbing service… There’s a sick irony of we’re really good at cleaning up messes, then here we are cleaning up our own.” Thirty dedicated employees gave up their day off to help clean up the mess. That's Cincinnati grit right there.
NEKO SUSHI'S REPEATED NIGHTMARE
While a city retaining wall offered some protection to Apollo Home, other Hyde Park staples like Neko Sushi weren't so lucky. Yeon Kim, owner of Neko Sushi, recounted the terrifying speed of the flood: “When it’s a heavy rain, it just happened. Twenty minutes flooded this area.” Kim’s restaurant sits at the lowest point on Edwards Road, making it a repeat victim of these watery onslaughts. She’s pleading with the city: “Please, this time, do not neglect this poor sewage system. We are next to the school, and then we don’t want to [have more] damage. So we would like to continue to… maintain the business in this area. Please support us.” It's time for some action, Cincy. Our local businesses are drowning, literally.
STAY SAFE, CINCINNATI!
For those dealing with flooded homes, Knudsen offers some crucial advice: get rid of porous materials like carpeting and soaked drywall immediately. While Apollo Home has industrial-strength fans, a simple dehumidifier can do wonders for your basement. The Cincinnati Fire Department is screaming it from the rooftops: if you see high water, TURN AROUND, don't drown! Do NOT attempt to drive through it. And if you spot a clogged storm drain, hit up 311 Cincy. For sewer backups, call the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati at 513-352-4900. Stay vigilant, Cincinnati. This ain't over till it's over.
