Residents ready for return to normalcy after styrene leak forced evacuation

Anyone driving around Hooven on Thursday would think it was just another day.

People were sitting on their porches, filling up the dining hall at the local Fishtail Tavern and spending time with their pets.

But the small town was turned upside down just two days prior when a styrene chemical leak forced dozens to evacuate.

"It was stressful, you know, I know everybody's saying that," resident Russell McKernan said.

Flash forward two days, and homes are full once again. Still, many neighbors returned with lingering questions.

“We were worried if it’s even safe to come back,” Deborah Miller said. “We just now got home because we have three dogs and we went all the way out to King’s Island to a campground."

The evacuation order was lifted by officials around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, more than a day after residents were told to leave their homes. That announcement brought relief to the entire community.

“It was wonderful, we were able to relax, and we got a really good night's sleep," Mckernan said.

“I’m glad we was able come back home because as they say, there’s no place like home," Miller said.

Hamilton County Emergency Management released information and recommendations to residents Wednesday evening.

Businesses in the evacuation zone were back open Thursday. WCPO saw that one local boutique had a sign on its doors telling customers they would be cleaning on Thursday, with a full reopening on Friday.

WCPO went to the Kroger in the area, the store closed earlier in the morning and was eventually reopened by the afternoon.

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