Mayor Aftab Pureval declared a citywide emergency Tuesday, July 21, and said the city will use proceeds from its $1.6 billion railroad sale to repair the Duck Creek flood control system if an ongoing investigation confirms the floodgate malfunctioned during Friday's storm.

The railroad trust fund could provide a funding source for a problem Oakley and Hyde Park residents have lived with for years. The fund, created after the 2023 sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway, has grown to nearly $1.9 billion. In the current fiscal year, which began July 1, the city has $58 million in railway sale revenue available for its capital budget. State law restricts that money to repairing or replacing existing infrastructure.

"If the Duck Creek flooding system malfunctioned, then we're going to fix that immediately and continue to invest in critical areas of the system to make it as resilient as possible," Pureval told WCPO 9 on Tuesday.

What failed

Pureval confirmed to WCPO 9 that the Duck Creek floodgate, located on the Madisonville-Oakley border on Madison Road, did not close during the Friday, July 17 storm. The city is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate whether the gate malfunctioned or was never designed to activate under those conditions.

Parts of Cincinnati received up to five inches of rain that night. The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati logged more than 900 reports of sewer backups and basement flooding. Six feet of water filled homes on at least one Oakley street.

Then it happened again. A second round of storms hit Oakley, Hyde Park and Madisonville on Tuesday, re-flooding properties where restoration crews were already working. Hunter Olmstead, president of Teasdale Fenton Cleaning & Property Restoration, said apartment units on Allendale Drive in Oakley were entirely gutted.

The damage up close

Oakley resident Paige Scheidler had spent about $20,000 on flood prevention measures before Friday's storm filled her basement with five feet of water. She told WCPO flooding became a major issue around 2016 and worsened as development increased in the area.

In Hyde Park, Neko Sushi owner Yeon Kim said Friday marked the fifth time her Michigan Avenue restaurant has flooded since 2018. Zip's in Mount Lookout closed through the weekend after flooding.

State and federal aid

The emergency declaration allows the city to pursue state and federal financial assistance more quickly. Pureval said he is in talks with both levels of government but does not yet know when any aid will arrive.

City Manager Sheryl Long directed debris removal crews to prioritize Hyde Park, Oakley, Madisonville and California. The city stationed the first roll-off dumpster at 4420 Camberwell Road in Hyde Park.

Council members Mark Jeffreys, Seth Walsh and Anna Albi all pressed for answers about the floodgate in the days after Friday's storm. Jeffreys said the city's stormwater master plan is fine for the long term but asked what can be done before it is implemented.

How residents can act

The Hyde Park Neighborhood Council urged residents to file claims with MSD's Sewer Backup Program within 48 hours of flooding. Claims can be filed at msdgc.org/sbu or by calling 513-352-4900. Residents can also report debris, blocked roads or drainage concerns by calling 311 or visiting 311cincy.org.

Pureval did not name a timeline for the floodgate investigation or announce a specific dollar amount for repairs.