At least five people have died as torrential rainfall triggered catastrophic flooding across Indiana, a crisis that officials described as the worst in over 30 years. Rescue teams in boats were still pulling residents from rising water along the White River in Indianapolis on Saturday as more storms moved through.
The victims included a 58-year-old woman whose body was found Friday in Delaware county, where sheriff’s deputies believe she attempted to drive through floodwaters. The remains of a teenager who had been missing since Wednesday after jumping into a river were also recovered. Earlier in the week, a four-year-old boy was killed when a tree crashed onto his home in Jennings county.
At a news conference, Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett and other officials urged residents in flood-prone areas to take evacuation orders seriously. Jerry Martin, deputy chief of the city’s fire department, stressed the force of moving water. “Six inches of water can stall out any vehicle. Eight inches of water can move a vehicle off a road. And then three inches of water can actually take somebody off their feet too. Flooded water is very, very dangerous,” he said.
Todd Wilson, the city’s public works director, warned that conditions would grow worse before they improved. “The water is still rising. And it will be rising all day long,” Wilson said.
The National Weather Service reported more than 11 inches (28 cm) of rain fell in some areas over a two-day span. The White River crested above 24 feet (7.32 meters) in Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913. The unprecedented nature of the deluge has stretched emergency crews, with flooding observed in areas not historically affected.
Flash flood warnings were active for northeastern Hendricks county and northern Marion county. Authorities estimated that roughly 400 people evacuated parts of northern Indianapolis on their own, while the governor’s office said more than 350 evacuations had occurred in Delaware county. A senior mobile home community in Tipton county was being evacuated, and rescues and welfare checks were underway in Fayette county.
Rita Reith, a spokesperson for the Indianapolis fire department, said 95 people and 45 pets had been rescued as of late afternoon, with dispatchers handling hundreds of calls. More than 150,000 people were without power across northern Indiana, according to the region’s public service company.
Governor Mike Braun confirmed on Saturday that Donald Trump intended to approve his request for federal resources to assist with the response and recovery. Trump has approved a higher percentage of aid requests for Republican-led states than for Democratic-led states in his second term, according to research for the nonpartisan Urban Institute.
Officials cautioned that the flood danger was far from over, as water levels continued to climb across the region.
