A storm system that began pounding Indiana on August 11 has killed at least six people and triggered historic flooding across the state, prompting a state of emergency, dozens of water rescues, and federal disaster assistance from President Trump.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed the sixth death on Saturday, August 15, after a news conference earlier that day had put the toll at five. Among the dead: a four-year-old boy in Jennings County, in southeastern Indiana, who died Tuesday when a tree toppled onto his home during an outbreak of severe weather. A 19-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman in Delaware County, in the eastern part of the state, were also among the victims. State officials have not publicly identified the remaining three dead or detailed how they died.
At least 150,000 customers across Indiana remained without power Saturday, ABC News reported. The Indianapolis Fire Department conducted 50 water rescues over several hours, evacuating 91 residents and 45 pets from flooded neighborhoods.
Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen posted a video to social media describing what his city, just north of Indianapolis, had endured. The White River crested overnight at 24.6 feet, nearly a full foot above the previous record of 23.8 feet, set in 1913.
"The last 48 hours have been unprecedented in this community. As you know, last night we broke the 113-year-old record from 1913, which was originally 23.8 feet. We crested late last night, early this morning at 24.6 feet here."
That record had stood for 113 years. It fell in a single night.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett described the situation at a Saturday morning press conference in blunt terms:
"The city of Indianapolis is currently facing a flooding event that we have not seen in over 30 years. This is, it is an ever-evolving situation, and conditions can and are changing quite rapidly."
Aerial and ground-level photos released by the Indianapolis Fire Department showed wide swaths of northern Indianapolis submerged. The ground across the region was already saturated before the latest round of storms arrived, leaving nowhere for the water to go.
The pattern mirrors what communities across the Midwest have faced in recent weeks. Severe storms and flash flood warnings have stretched from Illinois to Appalachia, battering infrastructure and straining emergency services in state after state.
Gov. Mike Braun declared a state of emergency earlier in the week as the storm system settled over Indiana. On Saturday, he posted to social media that he had spoken directly with President Trump about "the severe storms and historic flooding impacting Indiana." Trump agreed to provide federal assistance, Braun said.
The specifics of that federal aid package were not detailed in Braun's post. But the speed of the commitment stands in contrast to disaster responses that have dragged on in other administrations. Trump has already approved more than $846 million in federal disaster aid across nine states this year.
Indiana DHS Executive Director Jonathan Whitham warned Saturday that the danger was far from over:
"As far as the flooding, again, that's an ongoing issue. That's going to continue for the next 24 hours at least, and then we'll start that recovery process next."
Flood watches remained in effect Saturday afternoon not only for Indianapolis but for Columbus, Ohio, and Charleston, West Virginia. The flash flood threat stretched from eastern Iowa to West Virginia, a corridor hundreds of miles wide.
The human cost is what matters most. A four-year-old boy crushed by a falling tree. A teenager and a middle-aged woman dead in Delaware County under circumstances state officials have yet to explain publicly. Three other victims whose names and stories have not been released at all.
Indiana is hardly alone. Deadly flooding has hit neighboring states hard this year. Kentucky flash floods killed at least four people in a separate event that also forced a state of emergency declaration. And earlier this summer, a derecho and tornadoes left multiple dead and nearly 700,000 without power across the broader Midwest.
For Indiana, the immediate crisis is not over. Whitham made clear that floodwaters would keep rising for at least another day before the state could even begin to assess the full scope of the damage. With 150,000 homes and businesses still dark, rescuers still pulling people from floodwaters, and at least six families grieving, recovery will take far longer than that.
When the water finally recedes, the real work begins, and the people left to clean up will be the ones who always are: the homeowners, the first responders, and the taxpayers footing the bill.
