Flood of 1997
DAY 11: TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1997
The river at Cincinnati drops to 50.3 feet during the afternoon, 1.7 feet below flood stage.
The number of local volunteers reaches 2,250.
The American Red Cross estimates that it has served 43,000 meals and distributed 2,000 hygiene kits and 5,400 cleanup kits. 		Experts say water surging out of the Ohio River will cause flooding all along the Mississippi River.
Gov. George Voinovich tours damaged areas of Cincinnati.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opens six flood recovery centers.
FEMA Director James Lee Witt tours Falmouth.
In Adams County, an estimated 500 buildings must be replaced. 		Enquirer.Com on March 12, 1997
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Victims now eager
for money to flow

BY CLIFF RADEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer

debris
With a 10-foot pile behind her, Ruth Cummins, 72, of Falmouth clears debris from the sidewalk in front of her home.
(Patrick Reddy photo)
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The checks are in the mail. That was the message from the FEMA man as he toured Falmouth on a sunny Tuesday, perfect for removing more flood debris.
James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, promised quick action in getting government relief money to residents of the flood-stricken city.
But broad promises weren't quite enough for some flood-weary residents.
Nalene Hyatt nailed the FEMA man as he got out of a National Guard humvee right in front of her home.
She walked right up and asked if a rumor about the government setting up a trailer park for homeless flood victims was true.
The director told her available rental property would be filled first. Satisfied with his answer for now, she let the FEMA man go.
mask
Air National Guard assisting in the cleanup in Falmouth wear face masks to protect them from bacterial infection.
(Patrick Reddy photo)
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Monica Fehr of Adams County hopes a FEMA check will help buy a new mobile home. Her home was washed away when Scioto Brush Creek flooded. It was one of 500 buildings -- most of them mobile homes -- the county lost to the flood. Another 700 houses have suffered significant damage. In all, the county has 3,000 flood refugees.
If Monica gets money for a new trailer, don't look for her to relocate anywhere near Scioto Brush Creek.
''It's beautiful country,'' she said. ''But if I come back out here, it's going to have to be where there's no water around.''
As the day dried out in Cincinnati, floodwaters continued to cause problems downstream. While the Ohio dipped to 1.7 feet below flood stage at Cincinnati, the river crested over flood stage near Evansville, Ind. Illinois took a direct hit as the state's southern river counties were declared disaster areas.
Sandbagging continued around the clock at the levee protecting Smithland, Ky. Two-thirds of the people in this western Kentucky town rely on the levee to hold back high water. Here the flood slipped on by.

Day 12, Wednesday, March 12, 1997
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