Portsmouth residents respond to flooding aftermath

PORTSMOUTH, OH (WOWK) – Helene brought strong winds, power outages and flooding to the tri-state area, and residents in Portsmouth, Ohio, are speaking out about the aftermath.

“Water had gotten so high that got underneath our floor where our crawlspace is, and there’s a door that leads to the basement. So, that all caved in and our basement is completely filled. It messed up our foundation, it ripped out our hot water tank,” said Dylanne Adams, a Portsmouth resident.

Adams has lived in her home with her boyfriend and their two children for just over a year. She said that when she got home from work, she noticed that the street was starting to flood. She says that within 40 minutes, the water started to rise toward their porch steps.

“I’ve never seen the flooding get this bad in this area it’s usually closer down to the river,” she said.

She started to pack a bag to evacuate and realized it was too late, they would have to wait out the storm. One of their cars would be ruined, and their personal belongings from the basement and backyard made their way into a neighbor’s backyard and down the street.

Adams said she is overwhelmed, but thankful that her family is safe. Their next door neighbor saw similar damages.

“You can see the watermark all where everything was running … all down the building and the house,” said Danny Smith.

Smith and his family moved into their home less than a month ago.

“Water tank got disconnected, all my furnace pipes are filled full of mud and water … it pulled all my insulation down in the back,” he said.

Smith’s car sat in eleven feet of water, and the foundation of their home needs major repairs. Luckily, their basement was empty.

“It could be worse. We could have lost everything. Thankfully, we’re able to salvage what we do have,” Smith said.

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