By Steve Kemme and Reid Forgrave
The Cincinnati Enquirer

CROSBY TOWNSHIP - Rescue boats cut through fast-moving waters to reach 18 residents of a Crosby Township neighborhood trapped in their homes Monday by Great Miami River flooding.

The five-hour-long evacuation was among the dramatic scenes in a Greater Cincinnati region battling water-related problems as rivers and creeks crested after heavy weekend rains.

Brad and Judy Booth spent the night in their home along Lawrenceburg Road in Whitewater Twp. It did not flood but surrounded the home and knocked out their heating unit. (Michael E. Keating photo)

Besides forcing evacuation, flooding closed dozens of roads, caused several schools to cancel the first day of post-holiday classes, triggered boil-water advisories and created traffic backups. No serious injuries were reported Monday.

Weather forecasts predict no more rain but plenty of cold this week, and there is a 40 percent chance of snow on Thursday, said Don Hughes, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

River levels were expected to fall and flooding to recede by today.

One of the areas hit hardest was a neighborhood of about 30 houses and mobile homes north of New Baltimore in this northwestern Hamilton County township.

Many residents left Sunday when the Great Miami River began seeping through a patch of woods off River Road, rising to 5 feet on a side road and flowing into their homes.

But some balked at leaving pets and valuable possessions.

On Monday morning, fire and rescue workers with the city of Harrison and Whitewater and Crosby townships decided that the rising water placed the residents in too much danger. With rescue boats, dozens of firefighters in waders went door-to-door, coaxing neighbors to leave and, if they still refused, threatening them with arrest.

"I just want to get my best friend outta there so she can get some heat," said a worried Millie Walston, whose friend, 65-year-old Janice Lewis, had phoned her because she was stuck inside her flooded home.

Lewis stayed behind Sunday when her granddaughter, Shawntae Handy, 20, left. By Monday morning, the water had risen on her ground floor to about 21/2 feet, but Lewis told friends she couldn't leave her dogs at the home. She breeds and raises house dogs, mostly Pekingese, Yorkshire terriers, miniature poodles and Shih Tzus, and didn't want to leave behind the 85 dogs she has in kennels.

Lewis put her first-floor appliances on cinder blocks to keep them out of the water. The dog kennels are 31/2 feet off the ground, so the dogs weren't threatened.

"She said she's dealt with it before and it's never flooded," said Handy, whose grandmother has lived there for 20 years. "My grandma has seen it before. She's been through the worst of it and says it's going down now."

But by 1:30 p.m., rescue workers finally reached her home, and Lewis was among the last of the 18 people rescued Monday by the coaxing workers.

The displaced residents of the riverside community were taken to the Crosby Township Senior Center, where American Red Cross officials helped them find temporary shelter.

A long-time resident said it was the highest he's seen this part of the Great Miami River since 1959.

Dan Schwab, whose mobile home was near the edge of the water line, was unhappy Monday afternoon about leaving his two dogs behind when rescue workers told him to evacuate.

"I don't really have to leave, do I?" Schwab, wearing black waders, asked a Hamilton County sheriff's deputy. "I just don't understand why you need me out of here."

"We just don't want to chance it," the deputy replied.

Firefighters in Harrison and Crosby townships said late Monday the residents who were evacuated could return to their homes as early as this morning if water levels go down.

But residents whose homes suffered water damage inside face the task of cleaning their homes and may not be able to live in them again for a few days.

Harrison Fire Capt. Jim Davis said, "Sometimes you have to take drywall out because of the mold and mildew. It can be a while before they are actually back in the house."

Dwayne Davidson (front) and friend Rikki Sellmeyer with dog Cinnamon are evacuated by Harrison firefighters from their River Road home in Crosby Twp. (Michael E. Keating photo)

In South Lebanon, Todd Pontsler spent Monday morning tossing ruined clothes onto the front porch of the flooded South High Street home that he shares with his wife and their five children.

Their basement was full of water and their living room had several inches of water. The water came up quickly Sunday night, he said. He and his family lost clothes and toys but managed to save computers, photos and mementos, he said.

Pontsler has lived in the home - a short distance from the Little Miami River - for six years, but his mother lived there previously for many years.

"I always was prepared," he said. "I knew it was coming. I just didn't know when."

The American Red Cross was working to help the family find shelter.

The Pontslers were the only family expected to be displaced in South Lebanon, but eight other families suffered flood damage to their homes, said Frank Young, director of emergency services for Warren County.

Flooded roads forced the cancellation of classes Monday in Butler County's New Miami Schools and western Hamilton County's Three Rivers Schools.

"Many of our streets were flooded, and we couldn't get the buses back there," said New Miami Superintendent Robert "Bud" Bierly. "There was so much debris in the road that we were also concerned about the safety of students who walk to school."

As a precaution, the Warren County Water and Sewer Department advised residents in Deerfield and Hamilton townships to boil their water for at least two minutes to make sure it contained no contaminants. The department also suggested that residents use bottled water for drinking and cooking.

High water caused about 40 roads to be closed in Warren County, 20 in Hamilton County and three in Butler County.

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E-mail skemme@enquirer.com or rforgrave@enquirer.com. David Eck, Sue Kiesewetter, John Kiesewetter, Erica Solvig and Michael D. Clark contributed to this report.