INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — 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 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 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.
