Flooding threat spreads to Ohio Valley after 7 killed in Indiana
The flooding threat is expected to continue from the Midwest to the Ohio Valley on Monday after historic rains in Indiana over the past several days killed seven people, prompted evacuations and damaged numerous homes, authorities said.
Overnight, heavy rains caused flooding damage in several Ohio communities, including hard-hit areas in Perry County, Ohio.
Firefighters made more than 50 water rescues on Saturday night and into Sunday morning in Perry County, including a woman found stranded in floodwaters atop her car in Thorn Township, according to a social media post from Thorn Township Fire and EMS.
While the rain was tapering off in Indiana and Ohio on Monday morning, the flooding threat is expected to continue through Monday evening in eastern Kentucky, much of southern and central West Virginia, and southeastern Ohio.
Over the past seven days, parts of nine states -- including Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, Nebraska and Pennsylvania -- have received 5 to 10 inches of rain.
The highest rain totals have been in Indiana, where places like New Castle and Springport saw more than a foot of rain.
David Bartrom of Ravenswood, Ind., told ABC affiliate station WRTV in Indianapolis that water from the overflowing White River and Ravenswood Lake came up to his hip inside his home of more than 30 years.
"This was catastrophic," Bartrom said. "From 7:30 to 9:30 Saturday morning, it rose four feet."
Officials in hard-hit Hamilton County, Ind., said on Sunday morning that the floodwaters were finally starting to recede from what was described as "historic flooding" in the county.
During torrential rains over the past few days, a big worry has been the cresting of the White River, which runs through several counties, including Hamilton County.
On Saturday, the White River reached its highest level ever, breaking a record set in 1913, Hamilton County officials said.
During a news conference on Sunday, Christine Altman, president of the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, said the White River crested at 24.6 feet.
Michael Hubbs, director of the Administration for the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, said the water level in the White River had dropped to 21 feet as of Sunday morning, which he described as a "significant decrease."
"The roads are becoming drier and clearer, but that does not mean that the hazard has stopped," said Hubbs, adding that one of the bridges crossing the White River in Hamilton County was damaged in the storm.
At least 215 properties, including homes and businesses, in the Hamilton County town of Carmel were affected by the flooding, and 40 residents were forced to evacuate from their homes, Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam said at the news conference.
In nearby Noblesville, in Hamilton County, Mayor Chris Jensen said that nearly 200 residents of the town were evacuated over the weekend, many with their pets.
"We have a total of about 552 residential units that have been impacted by this historic flood here in our city," Jensen said.
The Indiana State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) confirmed a total of seven storm-related deaths since heavy rain and flooding began hitting the state Aug. 11.
Those killed include a 4-year-old boy, in Jennings County, Indiana, in the southeastern part of the state, who was killed when a tree toppled on his home on Tuesday amid an outbreak of severe weather.
In addition, a 19-year-old man and 58-year-old woman in Delaware County in eastern Indiana were among the dead, according to the department.
The SEOC said two people, an 86-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man, died in Porter County. Also, a 58-year-old woman in Lake County and a 31-year-old man in Henry County perished in the storm.
Officials said dozens of water rescues were made by emergency crews during the storms.
On Thursday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared a state of emergency, and said in a social media post on Saturday he had spoken to President Donald Trump about "the severe storms and historic flooding impacting Indiana" and that the president had agreed to provide federal assistance.
At one point on Saturday, at least 150,000 customers were without power in the state as a result of the severe weather, Indiana DHS Executive Director Jonathan Whitham said during the Saturday briefing.
Historic flooding around Indianapolis
At a news conference on Saturday, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city hasn't seen similar flooding in decades.
"The city of Indianapolis is currently facing a flooding event that we have not seen in over 30 years," he said. "This is, it is an ever-evolving situation, and conditions can and are changing quite rapidly."
The Indianapolis Fire Department said it had conducted a total of 50 water rescues over several hours, helping evacuate 91 residents and 45 pets.
