Madeira and Mariemont homeowners are among more than 1,800 across Hamilton County who have reported sewer backups since the Friday, July 17, flash flooding.

More than 900 of those reports qualify for free cleaning through MSD's sewer backup program, the agency told county commissioners on Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Sewer District classified the storm near Norwood as a 1,000-year rain event. As reported July 21, east-side communities were among the hardest hit when the system was overwhelmed.

MSD Director Diana Christy said the flooding was not an operational failure, according to WCPO. The storm simply exceeded what the pipes were designed to handle. Christy said crews have completed nearly all 1,800 investigations.

10 infrastructure projects fast-tracked

MSD Deputy Director and Chief Engineer Reese Johnson announced the agency is fast-tracking 10 infrastructure projects targeting flooding hotspots countywide. Johnson described them as smaller projects still costing millions of dollars, but not hundreds of millions or billions.

He was blunt about their limits: even if those projects had already been finished, they would not have prevented damage from a storm 10 times larger than what the system was designed to handle. But they could lessen future impacts.

MSD has also contacted the University of Cincinnati to study whether urbanization is making storms more intense. "The numbers don't lie when you have storms of this rarity coming so frequently," Johnson said.

FEMA threshold and county damage assessment

Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency Director Nick Crossley said the county was still collecting damage assessments from affected communities as of July 28. He expected to submit a report to the state the week of July 28.

An emergency declaration from the governor or president would unlock state and federal funding. The threshold: about $4.2 million in uninsured losses. Crossley said that figure is "pretty hard to get to" without a major infrastructure loss. For individual assistance, at least 25 homes must meet FEMA's standard for major structural damage.

Cincinnati relief fund vote set for Aug. 5

Separately, Cincinnati City Council is set to vote Wednesday, August 5, on up to $2 million in relief funds for homeowners and small businesses affected by the flooding, according to WCPO. Mayor Aftab Pureval proposed $1 million; Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said council would vote on an additional $1 million. The city plans to use MSD's existing reports to proactively contact eligible residents rather than requiring a separate application.

Homeowners who reported a backup and have not heard from MSD should call 513-352-4900 or submit a report online at msdgc.org/sbu. The Wednesday, August 5, Cincinnati Council vote is the next scheduled public action on flood relief funding.