CINCINNATI — As cleanup continues following Friday's flooding, homeowners in Cincinnati's Columbia-Tusculum neighborhood are once again ripping out flooring, throwing away damaged belongings and waiting for answers.
Ann Rigling spent the weekend cleaning out the lower level of her home after floodwaters rushed inside Friday evening.
"It was less than 10 minutes from the point at which they saw it starting to creep up above the deck line," Rigling said. "They had 10 minutes before it went from zero to that."
Rigling said floodwaters reached about three feet inside the lower level of her home, destroying flooring, appliances and personal belongings.
The flooding came just one day after her son's roommate moved into the home.
"This is the roommate's space," Rigling said. "They had just started moving him in. He lost everything."
Rigling said she and her family have spent days removing damaged flooring and belongings while waiting for the Metropolitan Sewer District to inspect the property.
She said she has received a call back from MSD but has not been told when someone will come to evaluate the damage.
Rigling said she purchased the home after being told improvements had been made to prevent flooding.
"We bought this home because we were told ... MSD had taken care of it," Rigling said. "Otherwise, we would not have purchased this home."
Next door, Jimmy Comodeca said Friday's flooding was the worst he's experienced since moving into the neighborhood, but not the first.
WATCH: Neighbors say this flood wasn't a one-time disaster.
"This is a consistent issue that happens," Comodeca said. "The drain, it's a known issue. They know about it. It's been a consistent problem for many, many years."
Comodeca said his home also flooded in 2024. WCPO has previously reported flooding in the same area dating back to 2017, and neighbors experienced additional flooding on the street just last month.
He said the repeated flooding has changed how he lives whenever storms are in the forecast.
"Anytime it starts storming, I have to wake up at 3 a.m., come down here and move both of our cars out of this area," Comodeca said. "I can't even sleep anymore. It's awful."
Comodeca said the latest flooding has once again forced his family to tear out drywall, dry the home with industrial fans and begin documenting every damaged item for an insurance and claims process.
He also said he experienced problems trying to file a claim with MSD after Friday's flooding, saying the online claim form was not working the night of the storm and that it took until the following day to receive a claim number.
During a news conference Sunday, MSD Director Diana Christy said the agency has received a high volume of claims and is working to respond as quickly as possible.
Christy also pushed back on suggestions that the sewer system failed.
"There's really no sewer system that can maintain that level of volume, and we are going to have flash flooding in our streets," Christy said, referring to the more than five inches of rain that fell in parts of the region in less than an hour.
Comodeca said residents understand the storm was historic but believe the neighborhood's flooding problems extend well beyond a single weather event.
"This isn't a fluke because it's been consistently happening here," Comodeca said. "This isn't a one-off event. This has been happening over and over and over again."
For Rigling, Comodeca and their neighbors, the cleanup continues. But they say what they're looking for most is a long-term solution that prevents the next flood from bringing the same devastation.
