News
Clean-Up Begins As Ohio River Recedes In Pomeroy
By: Susan Tebben
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POMEROY, Ohio — After days of dreary, rain-soaked weather, the sun finally came out over Pomeroy. With the sun came full views of the Ohio River and its new shoreline, which lined up perfectly with the doorways (and basements) of businesses along Main Street.
Inside The Hartwell House, owner Bobbie Karr, is still sweeping out water from the lower level of her shop. A fan blows a line of windchimes as it tries to dry up the wood floors. Less than a foot from the front door sloshes the Ohio River, about half a rain-boot deep.
At about 1 a.m. on Monday, Karr was watching the water come into her store.
(Michael Swensen/ WOUB)
“This one was a little different because we didn’t have a definite crest level,” said Karr, who’s been in business here since 1995. “That was the hardest part because you don’t know how far to move, how high to go.”
The river crested on Monday, and the water finally started receding after a weekend of waiting and bracing.
Karr has seen six floods now (five of which affected her business), but for Maureen Burns, this flood was her first. Owner of Herbal Sage Tea Company and The Brickhouse Apothecary, Burns said her production facility wasn’t affected, but the uncertainty of the flooding was enough to make her nervous. She, too, was up at 1 a.m. the morning the river came over its banks.
“My basement at The Brickhouse, part of it’s concrete and part of it’s brick, so I could stand there yesterday and see the water bubbling up through the bricks,” Burns said.
But after the flood, there was no question of what would happen next.
“The community here is so awesome…people just came and helped,” Burns said.
The American Red Cross arrived, along with emergency management crews and even members of the local football team.
By morning, the village was scattered with people bringing in disinfectant, mops, buckets, rubber gloves and other cleaning supplies.
Food was brought to a local funeral home to feed those cleaning up and first responders who would be called in to clean the streets once the water came down. State Representative Jay Edwards was among those who brought food for the hungry workers.
When all is said and done, Paige Cleek, owner of Front Paige Outfitters, said the best thing people can do to help the affected businesses is to send out an SOS: “shop our stores.”
“Wait until we’re all put back together and come and shop,” Cleek said. “That’s what will help us the most.”
Despite the hours of cleaning that will now take place and the pounds of Ohio River “muck” that’s being hosed off their businesses, Karr, Cleek and Burns say they’ll get back to business, and have no hesitation about staying in Pomeroy.
“It’s not every town that gets to look across and see the river every morning and see the sun glistening off it,” Karr said.
When the river is at proper levels, Pomeroy is the place to be, according to Cleek.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Cleek said.
Supplies can be dropped off at the offices of the Meigs Independent Press on Court Street.