By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Fairfield homeowner Rick Henry rips up padding in a lower room that was soaked in this weekend's flooding. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

HAMILTON - Butler County health officials are warning residents about health hazards as they clean up in the aftermath of weekend flooding.

Flood victims who walk in sandals or in bare feet in flood water and mud in their basements are risking their health, officials say.

Bacteria in floodwater can cause many illnesses, ranging from diarrhea and cholera to hepatitis A and typhoid fever.

"People get in too big of a hurry to clean up their property and don't take time to protect themselves," said Jeff Agnew, chief of environmental services for the Butler County Board of Health. "They should wear boots and rubber gloves and, if there's water splashing around, they need goggles."

Butler County's flood-battered communities include Fairfield and Ross Township in the south, New Miami and other parts of St. Clair Township in the central county and Collinsville, Darrtown and Somerville in the north.

Emergency management officials were still assessing damages Tuesday to determine whether the county would qualify for federal and state financial assistance. Hundreds of home basements flooded, but emergency officials are having a hard time finding many with major damage.

For Butler to qualify for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and Ohio's individual assistance grants, Butler County must have at least 25 homes that sustained a minimum loss in market value of 40 percent.So far, they've identified 20 homes with major damage, said William Turner, director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency.

"We found a lot of mess," he said. "But it's more trash and nuisance."

Wayne Grizzle of St. Clair Township has been contending with a big mess. His house had been surrounded by two feet of water, which seeped into his recently remodeled basement

He used pressure hoses Monday to blast most of the one-inch coating of muck off his driveway.

But he still had a lot of clean-up work in his basement.

"It pretty much soaked everything," Grizzle said. "I had to rip up my carpet and throw it in the Dumpster."

He also lost about 100 yards of wooded area at the back of his property, where Seven Mile and Four Mile creeks converge.

"It makes you sick to see your land go like that," he said.

Agnew said there have been no reports of serious flood-related illnesses so far. But he's concerned health problems could arise if people aren't careful.

"With floodwater, you don't know what's coming into your house," Agnew said.

Turner warned that parents shouldn't allow their children to play in floodwater and mud.

"It's really an unsafe environment right now," he said. "This water has all kinds of bacteria. It went through barns, farms and septic tanks."

Streets and sidewalks in New Miami were still streaked with mud Tuesday. The weekend rains covered most of the streets with a foot of water, partly because of New Miami's poor drainage systems.

Roy and Jennie Dawson had two feet of water in their basement. On Tuesday, they had fans blowing in their basement in an attempt to dry it out.

Jennie Dawson said the flood might have damaged their furnace, washer and dryer. But she was grateful the water didn't make it to the main floor. "We feel we were lucky," she said.

In the wake of the floods, the Butler County Board of Health is keeping its hot line open until 11 p.m. at least through today. Normal hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents can call 863-1770 with health and flooding questions.

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com