Clermont County declares state of emergency as flood recovery shifts to damage assessments and relief operations

The Clermont County Board of Commissioners on April 9 adopted a resolution declaring a state of emergency for the county related to recent rainstorms and Ohio River flooding and authorized the waiver of county building and inspection fees for flood-damaged properties.

The emergency declaration, adopted as Resolution Number 037-25, was followed by a separate resolution, 038-25, to waive county building and inspection fees for permits and inspections related to damage from the floods. Both motions were moved, seconded and approved by roll call with Commissioners Bachelor, Corcoran and Painter voting yes.

Pam Haberkost, director of the Clermont County Emergency Management Agency, told the board a unified command post remains active in New Richmond and that water is only slowly receding. “We still have many roads that are closed, and they will continue to be closed even as the water recedes because our public works agencies . . . need to get out there to push off the debris,” Haberkost said.

Haberkost gave a status update on damage assessments and utilities: at last count county staff identified 89 unique address points affected, 79 electric shutoffs and 39 gas shutoffs, with the bulk of impacts in the village of New Richmond and parts of Pierce and Monroe townships. She said rapid external damage assessments underway will classify structures as unaffected, affected, minor, major or destroyed; that work will inform any state or federal disaster requests.

Haberkost said the county is coordinating with the Ohio Department of Transportation, the county engineer and local road-and-service departments on clearing debris, inspecting roads and reopening bridges. She told the board many bridges are maintained by ODOT and will require underwater inspections before reopening; some bridge inspections are expected Friday into Saturday, depending on receding water levels.

The county has an American Red Cross shelter open at a district office and is operating donation collection at First Baptist Church, 213 Western Ave., New Richmond, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Haberkost listed needed items the county is accepting: bottled water, hygiene kits and supplies, infant-care items, cleaning supplies (buckets, mops, cleaning agents), trash bags, rakes, brooms and work gloves. Donations will be inventoried and staged for distribution at River of Life Church in Moscow and other local pickup sites.

Officials are working to secure mobile recovery resources, including laundry, shower and restroom trailers. Habitat and faith-based partners that Haberkost said have expressed interest in post-flood recovery work include Matthew 25 Ministries, Crossroads Church affiliates, Southern Baptist teams and Team Rubicon. The county plans to coordinate those volunteers and larger disaster-relief groups to avoid duplication and to vet organizations before they deploy to private properties.

Haberkost cautioned that state and federal public-assistance eligibility depends on thresholds and assessments. “Countywide is close to a million dollars, and statewide is upwards of, like, $22,000,000,” she said of thresholds for public assistance; she added that individual assistance often hinges on counts of uninsured destroyed structures (she cited a 25-structure threshold as one factor FEMA considers).

The county is also organizing debris-collection points and a debris-sorting infographic for residents; Haberkost said planned roll-off locations include two sites in Richmond, one on Palestine Road in Palestine, one at Point Pleasant and another later in Neville. Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District staff are coordinating with local trash haulers on extra pickups and schedule changes.

Officials described steps to simplify utility restoration, working with the county building department, fire departments and Duke Energy. Haberkost said the county previously approved a fee-waiver resolution to speed permit processing and that staff are preparing handouts to guide residents through permitting, utility contacts and fire-department assessments.

On volunteer coordination and sheltering, Haberkost said the county is preparing for community cleanup days after the Easter holiday to manage unaffiliated volunteers safely and efficiently; meanwhile, the county is encouraging residents to coordinate with established relief partners. She also said the county has set up a pet-shelter option and is working to keep pet owners connected to their animals during shelter stays.

Commissioners and staff emphasized public safety: the board urged residents not to bypass road-closure signs and noted local police are posted at main thoroughfares in Richmond to limit traffic to essential access only. Haberkost gave the county hotline for volunteers and information as (513) 735-8500.

The board said it will continue to oversee the transition from immediate emergency response to recovery operations and may consider short-term funding allocations next week to cover emergency expenses such as roll-offs and contracted cleanup if needed.

The emergency declaration remains in effect so long as the board and relevant statutes require; Haberkost and county staff will continue damage assessments and updates to the board as recovery proceeds.