CINCINNATI — If you have photos or videos of flooding or flood damage in your neighborhood, email them to WCPO 9 at newsdesk@wcpo.com.
Heavy rain Friday caused several Cincinnati neighborhoods to flood in minutes, with residents in Hyde Park saying it took only 20 to 30 minutes for the downpour to become a serious flood threat.
Now, people in the Tri-State are continuing to clean up and survey damage from flooding caused by powerful storms. Oakley, Hyde Park, Norwood and Fairfax were hit especially hard with heavy rain leaving streets, parking lots, businesses and homes flooded.
WATCH: Here's what the flooding looked like on Friday night as rising water sent people scrambling
On Saturday, Cincinnati Fire Department Assistant Chief Matthew Flagler said crews responded to a total of 165 water-related incidents due to the rain. The neighborhood with the most responses was Oakley at 33, followed by Hyde Park at 20, Pleasant Ridge at 19 and Madisonville at 18.
WATCH: The Cincinnati Fire Department provides an update on the flooding response
Parts of both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-71 were submerged in water, leading to many vehicles having to pull over into the left shoulder.
“I came outside, and I couldn’t believe it, it came up past the fire hydrant," Hyde Park resident Jennifer Allman said. "It was pretty brutal.”
Rising water levels almost completely submerged cars. Floodwaters receded, leaving damage, dirt and debris.
WATCH: Firefighters respond to over 150 water-related incidents during flooding
On Erie Avenue, floodwaters left vehicles partially submerged and blocked roads for a couple of hours, leaving some drivers temporarily stuck.
"The one white car, I was worried somebody, you know, was in it," Allman said. "They did get out, but they were walking through up to their chest. It was terrifying."
"I have never seen rain like that before," Hyde Park resident Tamar Stalvey said Saturday morning.
Video from Monica Keller shows multiple cars flooded in the Factory 52 parking lot in Norwood.
Some drivers climbed on top of their vehicles near the Little Miami Watershed at Duck Creek.
In Fairfax, resident Gail Wright told us water was above waist level in some areas.
Simpson Avenue in Fairfax also dealt with high waters due to rain.
On Weltner Street in Madisonville, a resident claimed that so much water came down the street that it warped and cracked the asphalt.
The WCPO 9 Weather team declared Saturday a First Warning Weather Day because of a second round of storms expected in the afternoon.
"During the summer months we get these afternoons when all the ingredients are there for storms to start popping," WCPO 9 Meteorologist Cameron Hardin said. "While we once again will have chances for showers and storms this afternoon, it’s rare that we see what happened yesterday."
Neko Sushi, just around the corner from Hyde Park Square, was one of the businesses that also flooded Friday. Owner Yeon Kim told WCPO 9 this is the fifth time her restaurant has been flooded since 2018.
"The City need to reevaluate the sewage problem," Kim said. "There's so many of our business has been flooded, and then we do have a problem and that's ultimately, they need to claim."
She says having only two sewage drains near her business is the main issue, which she says leaves her nervous any time there is heavy rain. She says she has reached out to city council several times but there has been no resolution.
Zip's restaurant in Mt. Lookout, which just recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, posted to its Facebook page that it will be closed through the weekend.
"We have done a lot of work to shore up this old building, but it just wasn't enough for that storm," the post states, adding that they have called in a remediation company to assess the damage.
WCPO 9's Frank Marzullo walked through Mount Lookout Square Saturday morning to get a look at the flooding's aftermath.
WATCH: Frank Marzullo shows how high flooding reached in Mount Lookout businesses
On Sunday, Mayor Aftab Pureval released a statement regarding the flooding:
“This weekend’s storm brought an extraordinary amount of water to our region in an extremely narrow window of time, and so many among us have experienced fallouts ranging from challenging, to financially catastrophic, to tragic.
Public employees across departments and across levels of government have responded with incredible urgency, dignity, and coordination to keep folks safe. Countless individuals have responded to water rescues, crisis calls, stormwater tracking and street-level interventions to mitigate the damage and loss. And they will continue to be out in the community in affected neighborhoods during recovery.
We always have to learn from major weather events that cause this level of destruction. As we look at the Duck Creek floodgate in particular, it is still unconfirmed whether or not there was any malfunction. But it’s something the City will be studying with the Army Corps of Engineers and Stormwater Management. We have to analyze all our systems, especially critical infrastructure, after an event like this."
Our Administration and Council will fully review what parts of the response operations and infrastructure worked well, and what after-actions are needed. I expect that the City and our federal, state, and regional partners keep the public frequently updated as work continues.”
