Jimmy Defau stands in front of his house and yard.
Pictured, from left, is Sharon Watt and Carol Sims, both of The Red Cross.
Pictured are members of the New Richmond Fire Department and members of Code 3.
Flooding on April 7, 2025, in New Richmond.
Flooding on April 7, 2025, in New Richmond.
Jimmy Defau, a village of New Richmond resident, was 16 years old during the flood of 1997, and he is now 44 years old during the flood of April 2025.
Geared in his high-top wader boots, he obviously had been out helping folks in the flooded areas. He was taking his tractor and trailer through the water and helping folks get their belongings and personal effects out of their flooded homes, even using a boat at times to help people out of their homes.
In the 1997 flood, the river crested at 64.70 feet, and as of April 7, it was 60.79 feet. In 2018, the river crested at 60.53 feet.
Defau grew up in New Richmond, moved away for a while, and has now been back in the village for the past 13 years.
He owns a historic home; the first home built on Center Street. It was built by Frank Purcell, who was a steamboat captain.
Steamboat transportation was a mode of moving goods via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the 1800s. By 1868, with the rise of railroads and the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, steamboat transportation declined. (Captain Frank Purcell was not the honoree of Marian-Purcell High School, since it was named in honor of John Baptist Purcell in 1928, as a tribute to the first archbishop of the archdiocese of Cincinnati.)
At the time of writing on April 7-8, Defau had several feet of flooding in his basement, however, he says this flooding has risen much slower than the 1997 flooding.
He remembers, at the time, putting a stick in his grandmother’s yard to measure the water level, and the river rose three feet in one hour. Defau has a good-sized yard, and he has offered his yard to neighbors to park their recreational vehicles there and hook up to his house for electricity until the floods recede from their homes.
When asked what brought him back to the village, he answered, “It just feels like home here.”
To read the full story, purchase your copy of The Clermont Sun, or become a subscriber and never miss local coverage.
Subscribe to The Clermont Sun today!