Historic flooding along Indiana's White River has killed at least seven people and left tens of thousands without power, after rainfall not seen in more than a century overwhelmed communities across the state.
The death toll climbed over the weekend as floodwaters that began building on August 11 crested at record levels in multiple cities. AP News reported that the dead include a 4-year-old boy, three men, and three women, lives lost across days of relentless storms that dumped more than 11 inches of rain on parts of the state in just 48 hours.
The White River crested above 24 feet in Anderson and Noblesville, north of Indianapolis, breaking records that had stood since 1913. In Indianapolis itself, emergency crews pulled more than 90 people and 45 pets from rising waters along the river on Saturday alone. Nearly 130,000 utility customers remained without power statewide on Sunday, down from a peak of roughly 300,000.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared a statewide emergency and moved quickly to secure federal help. President Trump approved an emergency declaration, unlocking federal disaster assistance for the state's response and recovery efforts.
Braun addressed the toll in personal terms. As the New York Post reported, the governor said:
"My heart is with the families and loved ones of the five Hoosiers we have lost and every family whose life has been changed by these storms."
That statement came when the confirmed death count stood at five. It has since risen to at least seven.
Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, did not hold back about the scale of the disaster. He told reporters:
"This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime type floods. So yeah, this is an unprecedented event and unfortunately we're setting some new records."
Todd Wilson, Indianapolis's public works director, warned residents that the danger had not passed. "The water is still rising, so heed the warnings," Wilson said, urging people in flood-prone areas to evacuate rather than wait.
The flooding is the worst Indiana has experienced in over 30 years, and the river levels surpassed marks set more than a century ago. That 1913 benchmark had long been considered the state's high-water mark, a record most officials assumed would never fall. It fell.
The storms that triggered the disaster were part of a broader severe weather pattern that hammered the Midwest over multiple days, stretching from Illinois through Appalachia. Indiana bore the worst of it.
Among the seven confirmed dead is a young boy from Delaware County. Sheriff Tony Skinner identified him as Matthew and released a statement through his office:
"There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child. Our hearts are with Matthew's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved him."
By Sunday, floodwaters along the White River in Indianapolis had begun to recede, and recovery efforts were underway. But for residents who watched the water swallow their homes, the emotional toll is just beginning.
Frank Gounder, an Indianapolis resident, described the helplessness of watching floodwater pour into his house:
"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. 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."
Gounder's account captures what thousands of Hoosiers are facing: homes damaged or destroyed, belongings ruined, and a long road back to normal with no clear timeline. The earlier rounds of deadly storms across Indiana had already strained local resources before the White River crested.
More than 11 inches of rain in some areas over two days is not a figure local drainage systems were designed to handle. The White River's crest above 24 feet in Anderson and Noblesville far exceeded anything modern infrastructure was built to contain. When a river breaks a record that stood since Woodrow Wilson's first year in office, it is not a marginal event. It is a system failure driven by volume no one planned for.
Authorities warned that additional storms were expected, raising the possibility that already-saturated ground and swollen waterways could produce more flash flooding. The situation remained fluid heading into the new week, with emergency management officials urging residents to stay alert and follow evacuation orders without delay.
Indiana was not the only state in the region battered by the weather pattern. Neighboring Kentucky faced its own deadly flash floods and a gubernatorial emergency declaration, while communities across Illinois and Indiana dealt with tornado damage that left hundreds of buildings wrecked and thousands without electricity.
The federal emergency declaration from President Trump means FEMA resources and federal funding can flow to affected counties. For the families of the seven dead, no amount of aid will undo what happened. But for the tens of thousands still without power and the communities now beginning the long work of cleanup, the speed and scale of the federal and state response will determine how quickly Indiana gets back on its feet.
When the water rises that fast and that high, the only thing that matters is whether government at every level moves just as fast. Hoosiers deserve nothing less.
