At least six people have been found dead in Indiana, with others still unaccounted for, after days of torrential rain unleashed catastrophic flooding across the state.
Entire communities were swallowed by fast-moving, muddy floodwater as swollen rivers spilled over their banks, forcing some residents to flee their homes by kayak.
Emergency crews used boats on Saturday to reach people trapped inside flooded homes along the White River, where rising waters continued to cut off neighborhoods and roads.
Indiana has been battered by relentless heavy rain over the past week, pushing rivers to record levels and sending residents scrambling to higher ground.
More than a dozen counties have issued local disaster declarations, with some of the worst damage reported along river corridors stretching from Hamilton County into the northern suburbs of Indianapolis.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Indiana, making federal disaster assistance available to the state, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city was facing its worst flooding in more than three decades, warning that conditions were changing quickly as water levels continued to rise.
By Saturday, hundreds of homes in neighborhoods situated between the river and nearby canals had been evacuated, while 911 dispatchers fielded hundreds of calls from residents seeking help.
Five people have been found dead with more missing as unceasing rain causes devastating floods across Indiana. Pictured is submerged Noblesville
A building catches on fire due to damaged caused by floods in this Indiana town
The Indianapolis Fire Department put the number of rescues at 95 people and 45 pets as of late afternoon.
More than 350 evacuations occurred in Delaware County including residents of a senior mobile home community in Tipton County, the governor’s office said.
Rescues and welfare checks also were happening in Fayette County.
Six people were killed in the floods over the past week, including a four-year-old boy killed when a tree fell on his home.
A 58-year-old woman was swept away after driving into floodwaters, and a 19-year-old man was found dead after jumping into a river on Wednesday.
Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, called it a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ type flood.
‘This is an unprecedented event, and unfortunately we’re setting some new records,’ he told The Associated Press.
The National Weather Service reported that more than 11 inches of rain fell over a two-day period in some areas.
The White River crested at more than 24ft in the communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.
Rescuers also used boats to save people stranded in inundated along the White River as floodwaters rose high and higher on Saturday
Indiana has been hammered over the past week by heavy rains, resulting in rivers reaching record levels and sending residents in search of higher ground
Evacuations are underway in the Ravenswood neighborhood due to flooding after days of heavy rain in Indianapolis
While some floodwaters were receding north of Indianapolis, flash-flood warnings and watches remained in place Saturday across a swath of central Indiana.
Forecasters expected the White River to crest on Saturday evening in the Indianapolis area, where National Guard vehicles were among those helping with the rescue efforts.
Earlier this week, severe storms wreaked havoc across other parts of the Midwest, causing tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding.
Storm damage was reported from the Chicago area all the way to western Pennsylvania. Power has yet to be restored for some residents in other parts of Indiana.
Residents posted videos on social media that showed submerged homes, vehicles stranded in high water, a power pole being toppled by rushing water and roads being washed away.
There were ominous clouds over Noblesville on Saturday morning, but the river already had marked its historic crest the night before, leaving homes standing in water, parking lots flooded and corn fields saturated.
An injured resident is evacuated from raging floodwaters in the Indianapolis suburbs
Homes were almost entirely submerged in parts of northern Indianapolis
Streets turned into rivers in Cambridge City, Indiana, this week as rain pounded the state
The community’s historic covered bridge, Potter’s Bridge, was still standing.
‘This is crazy for all of us,’ said Matt Doudt, the city’s photographer, who was out early to document the aftermath.
He pointed to a grassy commons area that usually hosts farmers’ markets and concerts. That was under water. So was a brand new memorial and flower garden recently installed by the city.
He said Noblesville, with its historic charm and brick streets, didn’t get much rain in recent days but that the flooding was caused by the downpours that happened in communities upstream.
All that water had nowhere to go but to rush down to Noblesville – and now Indianapolis, he said.
