The Midwest is bracing for another round of severe storms, with six straight days of heavy rain hitting the region this week and forcing hundreds of people from their homes.
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Authorities conducted water rescues and ordered evacuations as once-in-a-millennium rains hit parts of Indiana on Wednesday, causing rivers to burst their banks, flooding homes and making roads impassable.
Gov. Mike Brown requested a presidential emergency declaration through the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday, a day after declaring a statewide disaster emergency and activating the Indiana National Guard.
Millions of people across the Midwest remained under flood watches Friday. Even a small amount of rain in the next few hours could cause new problems in areas that are already experiencing rain.
Here’s the latest information:
More storms to come: A soggy morning storm brought flash flooding from Iowa to Illinois. Most of the storms have lost strength by early Friday afternoon, but the rain threat is far from over. A new storm is expected to begin in Iowa by Friday evening and spread eastward overnight.
Authorities search for missing teen: In Delaware County, Indiana, authorities are searching for an 18-year-old boy who went missing after jumping into a river Wednesday night, but boat search efforts have been suspended due to dangerous conditions, the sheriff’s office told CNN. Two other people were killed by a powerful derecho in Indiana earlier this week.
Water rescue, evacuation: Officials rescued residents from high water in several areas of Indiana, including Delaware, Madison, Wayne, and Henry counties, where rivers burst their banks. The White River in Anderson, Indiana, peaked at about 25 feet Friday morning, its highest level in more than 100 years. Flooding along the Whitewater River forced evacuations in Dearborn County, Indiana, and elsewhere. On Friday morning, water levels were below flood stage along the river.
Indiana isn’t alone: A flash flood emergency, the highest level of flood warning, was issued Thursday night for Knott County in eastern Kentucky. Several water rescues were conducted in the northern part of the county late Thursday. Approximately 375 people were forced to evacuate in Ohio due to flooding.
Indiana declares disaster due to rising rivers
Photos and videos from Indiana show scenes of destruction as floodwaters flooded homes and businesses.
“I was in a panic to get out of here,” Timothy Hicks, a father of six, told The Associated Press when floodwaters began pouring into his home in Cambridge, Indiana, on Wednesday.
“I grabbed my kids and started running them to the car without getting any shoes or clothes or anything,” he said. Video from the home shows a dilapidated bedroom, a damaged bicycle and a flooded yard. “It’s just devastating. The child’s home is gone,” Hicks added.
Security camera photos show the devastation caused by flooding in Metamora, Indiana, where numerous businesses were damaged on Wednesday.
Bill Smith, owner of Village Smith and Village Smith Coffee Bar, told CNN that many residents are facing significant losses.
“We won’t know until we see how much more flooding there will be from the rain,” Smith said. “There’s not much we can say about the extent of the loss until we can gain access to the building.”
Yorktown, Indiana, in Delaware County, declared a local disaster emergency Thursday afternoon, with first responders working around the clock to assist with evacuations. Drone footage shared by the city showed homes, vehicles and roads submerged in muddy water.
Since Wednesday, the Yorktown Fire Department has helped about 10 people escape from flooded vehicles and homes surrounded by water, Lt. Blair Webster told CNN. Floodwaters were chest deep in parts of Yorktown.
Photos and videos posted by the Yorktown Public Library show a pile of books flooded with water and children’s toys submerged.
On Thursday night, the Delaware County Office of Emergency Management said it had received reports of “toxic, chemical and odor” emanating from the flooding. The office warned residents to be on the lookout for symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and headaches.
In Muncie, water is deep on roads, rescue teams are using motorized boats, and critical infrastructure is out of commission. “I’ve been in the fire department for 29 years and I’ve never seen flooding like this,” Fire Chief Dan Burford told CNN on Thursday.
Delaware County authorities are also continuing to search for 18-year-old Matthew Morley, who went missing after jumping from a bridge into the Mississinewa River with three others Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office said.
Crews had to temporarily suspend search efforts Thursday afternoon due to rising water levels. On Friday morning, Sheriff Tony Skinner told CNN they were still searching on the ground using thermal drones, but underwater operations remained suspended due to dangerous conditions. “We’re going to do everything we can to not put other people at risk until the river goes down a few more feet,” Skinner said.
In nearby Anderson, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency Thursday and issued evacuation orders along the swollen White River and other waterways.
The Madison County Fire Department in Anderson was “busy all day” with evacuations and “some water rescues,” with more than 300 animals evacuated from a flooded animal shelter, Sheriff John Beaman told CNN Thursday night.
Friday morning’s downpour storm had largely subsided by early afternoon. Another storm could move through the same area late Friday or early Saturday.
Iowa and Illinois face the greatest risk from another round of heavy rainfall (Level 4/4) with flooding scheduled to begin late Friday afternoon, but will accelerate further overnight as the storm heads east. Areas of Indiana and Ohio that were already flooded this week could experience further flooding by early Saturday morning.
Exactly where the heaviest rain will fall remains unclear, but forecast models suggest more than 5 inches of rain could fall in the worst-hit areas, with isolated rainfall totals of more than 8 inches through Saturday.
The Level 4/2 flood risk area extends east into the Appalachian Mountains into Saturday morning. Total precipitation may be lower, but heavy downpours could quickly cause flooding to return in flooded areas.
The flooding threat may ease somewhat on Saturday, especially later in the day, but a further level 3/4 risk remains. The main path of heavy rain will shift north and east compared to earlier this week.
