Drenched Louisville residents dry out after flood
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Water-weary Louisville plunged into cleanup mode Wednesday from massive flash flooding that seeped into homes, cars and even the popular Kentucky Derby Museum, where part of its prized collection was strewn on tables after a frantic rescue.
No serious injuries were reported as floodwaters that swamped neighborhoods disappeared, but the damage was visible as residents tossed soaked carpet and pumped water-logged basements. Tow trucks hauled off cars submerged in rising water a day earlier.
"It was wild," engineer Joe B. Coke said of flooding that swamped the basement at his work when a giant wave created by a passing sports utility vehicle broke a door. "You just kept looking at it and you'd say, 'Surely this is not going to get any higher.' And it kept coming up. You just couldn't fathom it."
Louisville was inundated by up to a half-foot of rain within a couple of hours Tuesday morning when a strong thunderstorm also packing hail and high winds stalled over the city.
The downpour was so intense that the city's main airport received an inch of rain in 15 minutes, said National Weather Service hydrologist Mike Callahan. Across town, parts of western Louisville got 3 inches of rain per hour for two straight hours, he said.
"It's off the charts," Callahan said.
Mayor Jerry Abramson said officials were still assessing damage but plan to request federal aid.
Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital said it had discharged or transferred nearly 200 patients as of Tuesday night and remained closed because of water damage. The hard-hit main city library remained shut down, as did the University of Louisville as workers pumped water from several basements on the main campus.
U of L spokesman Mark Hebert said the university would be open for classes Thursday, although employees from 13 buildings that remain closed would not be working unless they teach or were notified by their supervisors.
Power outages that peaked at about 25,000 LG&E customers were down to 2,000 by Wednesday morning.
About 550 dogs and cats displaced from Louisville's flooded animal shelter remained in temporary housing at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. Abramson spokesman Chris Poynter said the animals would remain there until the shelter is cleaned up. Officials said 11 animals died when the shelter flooded.
Meanwhile, people whose cars flooded rushed to rent vehicles.
"We have one car left," said Laurie Hinkle, an office manager at Cook & Reeves, which rents cars and handicap-accessible vans.
At the Derby Museum, preliminary estimates already reached millions of dollars in damage and cleanup costs after floodwaters inundated the basement, said museum spokeswoman Wendy Treinen. The main floor had damage from raw sewage that seeped onto carpets, though most exhibits weren't affected, she said.
Floodwater gushed into the basement from the ceiling and seeped in from the floor. It started as a trickle and soon became a torrent, Treinen said.
The museum, which attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually, will be closed until further notice, she said. Insurance officials toured the damage Wednesday.
The flood set off a desperate basement rescue as museum workers formed a chain to put prized artifacts — such as trophies, bridles and paintings — on tables as rising water reached nearly a foot. Workers rolled up pant legs and women took off their heels to join in the effort.
"We say that every Derby, every day is celebrated here," Treinen said. "And right now, every Derby, every day is stored on tabletops."
The items, rotated throughout the museum, included a collection of jockey Bill Shoemaker's memorabilia.
Museum officials will have to sort through all the basement items, piece by piece, to determine the total damage, she said. Officials were especially concerned about archives and other records that got caught in floodwaters.
"That's the challenge now, how much has to actually leave the museum in order to dry it out, and how much can be salvaged while it's still here," she said. "Either way, it's a massive reorganization effort."
At Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, crews repaired water damage to the track and barns area.
Workers added about truckloads of dirt to the track and were busy grading the track to allow training to resume Thursday, said track spokesman John Asher. Workers also pumped water out of barns. On Tuesday, nearly two dozen horses were temporarily relocated to a nearby training facility because of floodwaters. Churchill is between live racing meets.
Elsewhere, Steve Obrekaitis donned white gloves to clean his flooded-out Honda Civic while awaiting a tow truck to take the car to a dealership to see if the vehicle was salvageable.
He filled two trash sacks with CDs and other belongings ruined by floodwaters.
David Stone, manager of several apartment complexes in the Old Louisville neighborhood, tossed rain-soaked carpet into a trash bin. The carpet had been stored in a basement inundated with about 20 inches of water.
"This is not even the tip of it," he said, predicting the total cleanup could last a couple of weeks.
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Associated Press Writer Dylan T. Lovan contributed to this report.
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