By Bill Cunningham, the great American. Of course, my hometown of Covington is being flooded as we speak. We've had reports now from me Richmond later on from Aurora, Indiana, but until then, the relatively new mayor of Covington is Mayor Ron Washington, who is a hero to many. Did a great job in the campaign. In fact, he was so good politically that no one ran against him. And now he's being tested by fire, ice and flood. Mayor Ron Washington, welcome for the second time to the Bill
Cunningham Show. It. As we sit here about one o'clock in the afternoon, can you tell the American people the status of flooding in my hometown of Covington.
I would be glad to thank you, mister Cunningham for having me on the city Covington has received some minor flooding when you look at the whole picture, around the forty fifth Street area of Covington has received flooding. The trailer park that we are very concerned about has received a small amount of damage. We did evacuate people to Latonia Elementary School. A few people took us up on
the evacuation. The determination is going to be made today whether not to keep that evacuation center opened.
What are the experts tell you about the next twenty four to forty eight hours. Has it crested yet or is that later sometime today.
We still do not know when the crest is going to happen. I just got off the phone with the fire chief. The fire chief indicated that we're still watching and seeing. We believe that it is steady. Since last night it rose we believe about eight to twelve inches. So we've got our eye on it, but we're fully confident that it may not be raising anymore. You know, we do have the VFW Hall that's off of forty
seventh Street. It is completely submersed, and and then we do have some basements that have anywhere from twelve the four feet of water, and we're looking forward to the clean up par Washington.
When I take this suspension bridge and look to my right or left, there's a big floodwall there. What is the status of the river relative to that high floodwall on the right and left side of the suspension bridge?
Very good question. On the right side, as many of you know, where Madison Avenue ends into the floodwall, we erected the floodgates several days ago. The water is up to the floodgates at the end of Madison Avenue, and we also put it at the end of Bakewell Street. People may remember that as the former entries to the Waterfront restaurant. So the floodgates up there, floodgates up at Sixteenth Street, so we're preventing water from going onto our
main streets. Now to the left, if you're coming south on the suspension bridge, you have Riverside Drive. Riverside Drive is a very scenic drive. I WRO It is now covered with water and debris and some of the statutes are underwater.
If one owns a home in that area and by the way, Riverside that's beautiful, it's gorgeous. Are those homes inundated yet? Will they be? What is the status of those Antebellum homes on Riverside Drive?
So far, they have not been inundated. It's just the roadway. The park, there's a George Rogers Park is there. It's received from water. But reporting as of now is that those homes are safe and we don't perceive a problem with those beautiful homes.
And as far as the as far as the Licking River, what is the status of the Licking River.
Well, the Licking River is what's causing the trouble in Latonia. Uh you know, Latonia is also the Licking River. And and like I reported before, it's it's it's we believe it's steady right now. But it has done some damages to some basements in the forty fifth area, the VSW forty seventh Street. It is underwater, of course, it sits directly on the Licking River. But thankfully and prayerfully, at this time no one has been hurt.
If you can recall, maybe you were in service to our great nation in the military, but in nineteen ninety seven the flood went over the top of the flood wall and had some real difficulties to anticipate this time that's going to happen or not, Assuming the status quo is maintained, assuming it doesn't rain anymore, and assuming the high River goes up another foot maybe eighteen inches, will a floodwall hold.
Floodwall will hold. I was not in the military as a police officer, the floodwall will hold, you know, So we should we should be good.
All right, So that beautiful hotel where Barry Larkin used to live on top of that hotel. When I take this Suspenar bridge on the right, and is that accessible if someone wants to come into that area, which is by the convention center, are you shutting down traffic thither and foe? Or can one access the convention center?
Everyone? If you want to come to the convention center, it's a riverside drive. Or excuse me, to Second Street where the hotels are where our beloved CORPORATEX is no problems. You can park there, the parking garage is fine. Everything's fine. On the other side of the floodwall.
Where your life jacket not so good. Riverside drive? Is this gorgeous? But is that inaccessible? Now? For those who know what we're talking about. When you go on the suspension bridge on the left, are some of those homes one hundred years old a little bit up on the top of a little hill overlooking the high River. Can someone access those homes or not?
They can access them from their alley ways, but they cannot access their front doors unless they have a rowboat because the street is covered with water.
And then the cover up's going to take a while. Correct because these things happened normally. It's the it's the it's the fight afterwards to get rid of all the debris and the mud that's going to be the problem looking forward.
That's correct. And a special shout out to our public works. You know, they're the unsung, unseen heroes of our city that keep the trains running on time. And they've done a great jobs erecting the flood walls and putting barricades up where Riverside Drive is and and River Road where there's uh low lying roadways near the river. And also our fire department who went door to door, especially in our trailer park and the forty fifth Street area to
warn people about the flooding. So hats off to them.
So really it's a problem, not yet a crisis. Have you ordered any evacuations, any orders on the citizens of Covington.
No, no evacuations, No evacuation, No evacuations, no evacuations. The trailer park was evacuated, but you know that that evacuation took two days ago. It was a voluntary evacuation. It was not an order from the government so to speak. We did provide shelter for them at our Latonia elementary school, and we suspect that the evacuation shelter will be shut down today.
And one thing I talked to Rob Sanders over the weekend. We texted back and forth. Is there be any incidences of looting or unusual criminal behaviors your knowledge?
No, I've remind you that we're talking about Kentucky. No, there hasn't been.
Not in Kentucky.
It doesn't happen.
I Covington doesn't.
We're don't allow that. We put cons up you.
No question about it. You haven't Comington a whole bunch of real functional police officers. Well, Mayor Ron Washington, we have to go. You're being tested by fire and by flood, and the first few months of your titular head of the Covington government has been interesting and I'm sure coming to will get along quite well. And once again, Mayor Ron Washington, thanks for coming on the Bill Cunningham, Jean and Mary, you're a great American. Thank you very much.
Thank you, sir.
Take care. Let's continue with more and if the line becomes available five one, three, seven, four, nine, seven thousand or pounds seven hundred. The New at and T. Bill Cunningham on news radio seven hundred WLW