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At Least 7 Die in Indiana Flooding 08/17 06:27
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) -- Days of storms and flooding in Indiana left at
least seven people dead as floodwaters receded in Indianapolis' White River and
rains eased in other parts of the state Sunday.
Frank Gounder was among the Indianapolis residents assessing the damage
Sunday, which also happened to be his 37th birthday.
The furniture maker, who lives on the city's hard-hit northside, less than a
mile from the White River, had been at home as floodwaters crept up his
driveway until they were about 2 feet deep (0.61 meters) in the house and his
workshop.
Now Gounder is left to pick through waterlogged materials and handmade
furniture in various stages of completion to see what, if anything, could be
salvaged.
"It's a lot. Before the water had actually gotten into my house and I saw
that it was going to happen, I started freaking out, getting mad," he said.
"But after you realize you can't do anything about it, you kind of just have to
let go and just continue, or else you're just going to be miserable."
Storm victims mourned
A 4-year-old boy, three men and three women were among those who had died
since the storms began Aug. 11, said Liz Woods, a spokesperson for the state
Department of Homeland Security.
Among the latest confirmed victims was a 31-year-old cyclist found dead
early Sunday in a hole that opened up on a washed-out road in Henry County,
east of Indianapolis.
Henry County Coroner Brian Clark said the man, James Briar, appears to have
gone around a barricade and fallen into the collapsed road.
Officials in Jennings County, in the southern end of the state, said the
youngest victim reported so far was killed Tuesday when a tree crashed through
his bedroom during strong winds.
"This is obviously unexpected," Cody Low, chief deputy at the Jennings
County Sheriff's office, told the local ABC affiliate. "There's nothing we can
say that is going to make it any better. We're going to push through this as a
community."
The other victims included a 19-year-old man whose body was recovered
Saturday. Officials in Delaware County, located east of Indianapolis, said
Matthew Morey had jumped off a bridge into the rushing waters of the
Mississinewa River with friends three days earlier.
Family and friends gathered earlier in the week at the bridge to remember
the recent high school graduate, who was headed to Purdue University, and warn
of the dangers of swollen rivers.
"There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child," Delaware
County Sheriff Tony Skinner said in a statement on Sunday. "Our hearts are with
Matthew's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved him."
Skinner's office also confirmed Stephanie Sallee and her dog were found dead
in a cornfield Friday, not far from Sallee's car. They believe the 58-year-old
had been driving on a flooded road when the vehicle was swept away.
In social media posts, Sallee's family remembered her as a sweet, kind and
"spunky lady" who adored her grandchildren and other young relatives.
Recovery efforts are underway
In Indianapolis, flooding from the White River peaked early Sunday morning
before receding, the city Department of Public Works said.
The agency reopened city floodgates Sunday, though they urged residents to
be cautious as they returned to flood-damaged neighborhoods. Emergency shelters
remained open after hundreds of homes along the river and its canals were
evacuated. First responders used boats to rescue people stranded by rapidly
rising floodwaters.
Recovery efforts were also underway elsewhere in the state.
"I must admit it is a good morning," Christine Altman, president of the
Hamilton County board of commissioners, said during a Sunday briefing. "It's
not raining, and the water is receding."
She said the county, located just north of Indianapolis, escaped without any
loss of life, though officials were assessing whether a significant bridge
damaged in the flooding could be repaired or if it needed to be completely
replaced.
While northern parts of Indiana dried out, a cluster of storms was expected
to pass through the central and southern regions later Sunday, bringing the
potential for heavy rain, flash flooding and damaging winds, the National
Weather Service warned.
Nearly 130,000 utility customers statewide remained without power as of late
Sunday, down from a peak of around 300,000, according to the online utility
tracker PowerOutage.us.
Storms brought historic flooding to Indiana
Heavy rains hammered Indiana over the past week, causing rivers to crest and
setting records as roads and bridges were seriously damaged or washed out
entirely by the rushing waters.
The White River crested at more than 24 feet (7.32 meters) in the
communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the flooding was the worst the city has
seen in more than 30 years.
Gov. Mike Braun's office said more than 350 evacuations and scores of rescue
and welfare checks have occurred elsewhere in the state, including at a senior
mobile home community north of Indianapolis.
President Donald Trump on Saturday approved Braun's request for federal
disaster assistance to help with flooding response and recovery efforts.
The drenching rains and destructive flooding were among the impacts of
severe storms that have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and beyond in recent
days.
Tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding brought serious damage to
communities from Illinois to western Pennsylvania.
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