Indiana Seeks Federal Disaster Aid for 1,000 Displaced as Flood Death Toll Reaches 7
Updated
Updated · IndyStar · Aug 17
Indiana Seeks Federal Disaster Aid for 1,000 Displaced as Flood Death Toll Reaches 7
3 articles · Updated · IndyStar · Aug 17
Summary
More than 1,000 Hoosiers have been displaced by historic flooding, and Governor Mike Braun said Indiana is submitting a request for a presidential major disaster declaration.
Seven deaths have been linked to the nearly weeklong storms, which included likely derecho damage and flooding experts say is the state's worst since 1913.
The higher-level declaration would unlock individual federal aid for homeowners and services such as disaster unemployment and crisis counseling; for now, Indiana has only an emergency declaration.
Flood impacts are still spreading south along the White and Wabash rivers, with rescues in Morgan and Johnson counties, while earlier damage estimates already run into the tens of millions of dollars.
In Carmel, officials warned flood erosion near a washed-out bridge could rupture a wastewater force main and send raw sewage into the White River, underscoring mounting infrastructure risks as waters recede.