Ben Johnson, who lives on Taylor School Road, said he felt “shear panic” as the storms blew through, flooding his basement, destroying appliances and knocking out a door in the basement. He lost a washer, dryer, refrigerator, video games and couch.
“Everything in the basement is gone,” he said after putting on waders.
He said watching some of his boys’ toys float out of the garage was the most difficult.
“That made it hit pretty hard,” he said.
Johnson tried to get his garage door down to stop the water from entering his garage. He said the rushing water blew the garage door in and collapsed an interior wall.
“We got out and watched it come in,” said Johnson, who spent Wednesday night with relatives.
He has lived on the street for eight years and said the storm and flood damage were the worst he has ever seen.
“It’s a mess,” he said of the inside of his home. “An in-ground swimming pool.”
He’s thankful his wife and two sons, Wyatt, 6, and Hank, 2, were not injured.
Johnson doesn’t have flood insurance. When asked what was next, he said: “Hope. You got to fix it one way or another.”
The American Red Cross Cincinnati Region also provided emergency personnel and residents food and water.
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