HARRISON, Ohio — Roger Fritts, 75, sat outside Lawrenceburg's Community Fellowship Church Thursday afternoon, gripping his walker and thinking about the night one week earlier when police officers came to his front door and told him it was time to leave.
"The police came down Lawrenceburg Road, lots of them," Fritts said.
The Whitewater River was rising fast, and Hamilton County Emergency Management had called for people around Harrison to evacuate to safety.
Fritts said he never expected to see what the small home would look like when he returned.
"It looked like a hurricane had come through there," Fritts said. "Things were flipped over; garbage cans were way down the road. It was really, really bad."
WATCH: We visit Roger Fritts' flood-damaged home to survey the damage
Fritts' daughter Rhonda Sutton showed us around inside the mud-caked home and sent us photos of what it looked like in the immediate aftermath of the flood.
"First time it's gotten this bad," Sutton said. "It's all gone."
The home still stands, but the inside is caked with mud, and what appeared to be mold had already begun to grow on some surfaces.
On the porch sits a steamer trunk filled with damaged family photos and heirlooms. An old waterlogged Bible that once belonged to Fritts' wife sat prominently on the trunk.
"All destroyed," Fritts said. "She had that bible for, whew, since she was about 12 years old. She passed away about five years ago with heart failure."
Fritts said that, with his age and health issues and his daughter being on disability, he does not expect to be able to rehabilitate the home and return.
It is why he met with us at the Lawrenceburg emergency shelter.
"He needs help," Sutton said. "Anywhere, a hotel, an apartment."
The family set up a GoFundMe account to help get Fritts into a hotel until they can establish more permanent options for him.
I asked Fritts what it would mean if people helped him get out of the shelter.
"That would mean everything," Fritts said.
The Red Cross pledged to continue operations in the region until everyone affected was housed.
