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.