‘Business has been wrecked’: Establishments in Cleves feel the impact of chemical leak

CLEVES, Ohio (WKRC) – Even if they haven’t had to close, the rail car emergency has an impact on businesses in and around Cleves.

Downtown Cleves is usually a bustling area in the early evening, but it was a ghost town on Wednesday.

Being right next to a road closure is also not great for business, as Trinidad Chavarria found out. He owns the drive-thru convenience store T-Daddy’s.

“I’ve had no business so far. I had to close down with the fear of fumes. Business has been wrecked from it,” Chavarria said.

When he found out about the leak on Tuesday afternoon, Chavarria immediately closed up shop. He also closed early on Wednesday. Even though he plans to open tomorrow, he isn’t optimistic about the turnout.

“We’ll be open tomorrow as long as everything is good to go. It’s kind of bad with the traffic getting rerouted; business will still be slim,” said Chavarria.

Maka Mia Pizza has also had less foot traffic than usual.

“Today has been pretty slow. Typically, I have people outside waiting around 10 a.m. I’ve had two customers today so far in the two hours we’ve been open,” said owner Katie Lanter.

She isn’t just worried about the impact on her business but also taking care of her 4-year-old daughter. She attends Three Rivers Elementary School, which is closed on Wednesday from the leak.

“I picked her up, and we ran to the car, and she said, ‘We can’t breathe in the chemicals.’ So, she’s pretty smart. She has an idea that it’s dangerous. We evacuated her from the area. Right now, she’s with a babysitter outside the evacuation zone,” Lanter said.

Despite the unfortunate situation, Lanter will continue serving customers as long as it’s safe.

“As of right now, we’re staying open, and we’re playing by ear. If they say it gets any worse, obviously we’ll shut down everything,” said Lanter.