Floods and Flood Walls

Covington and Newport stand at the confluence of the Ohio and the Licking, rivers that have long brought natural beauty, trade, and jobs but also repeated flooding. For generations, residents accepted the need to clean up after floods and begin again, but after the record flood of 1937 the two northern Kentucky cities built flood walls for protection. Record floods had already struck in 1883, when the Ohio crested at 66' 4", and in 1884, when it rose to 71'. During the 1937 flood, city water and electricity were cut off, volunteers used canoes and rafts along flooded streets, delivered coal to stranded homes, rescued residents in makeshift boats, and sandbagging crews kept the Suspension Bridge open with a temporary entrance ramp rising to 10 feet and passage limited to those with special passes. The flood walls built in the 1950s protected the cities but also cut off Newport and much of Covington from direct contact with the Ohio and the Licking. Thirty years later, riverfront development in both cities sought to restore their historic ties to the rivers.

Newport, Kentucky · United States