Red Cross Helps Kentuckiana Clean Up

Written by: Amy Miller, Kentucky Region

Pictures by: Kristen Perdue, Virginia

The Riviera neighborhood is no stranger to floods. Located just outside of downtown Louisville and situated on the south bank of the Ohio River, the neighborhood is subjected to the whims of the river whenever the water breaks its banks.

This latest soaking was no different. Residents of Riviera woke to another day of water-soaked streets, homes filled with mud, and the beginning of another extended clean-up a week after widespread flooding impacted residents in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Sunday was their day to start cleaning.

That afternoon, the American Red Cross was there to help.

Box trucks driven by Red Cross disaster workers roamed the muddy streets, passing out bleach, trash bags and other cleanup supplies. In addition, a Red Cross emergency response vehicle was filled with hot meals for community members as they cleaned up.

For Angela Onkst, cleaning up meant removing mud from the first floor of her home and working on getting her gas and electricity turned back on.

“It has been pretty hard,” Onkst said. “It was way more than we expected. We have been out of our home for more than a week now.”

To make matters even more frightening, only six inches separated the second floor of her home from floodwaters. The rain brought nearly 10 feet of water into her yard. Water reached the roof of her garage. The Red Cross was able to provide her and her children with important clean-up supplies to begin to dig out and recover.

“It’s our first time having a flood, so we didn’t really know what to expect," she said. “Everyone has been so helpful and nice.”

Onkst's children smile as they prepare to clean up
using supplies distributed by Red Cross disaster workers.

To date, nearly 400 disaster-workers from across the region and country are on the ground to provide hope, comfort and care to residents impacted by flooding. The Red Cross has distributed nearly 20,000 meals and snacks and more than 14,400 clean-up kits and emergency supplies to people in need.