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Midwest flooding begins to ease, but one more round of storms is on the way

(CNN) — Following disastrous flooding across the Midwest that left at least seven dead in Indiana, conditions have begun to improve across the region. As officials turn to recovery efforts, more storms are expected further east in Appalachia late Sunday.

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More than 5 million people across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic remain under flood watches Sunday. In areas already saturated by rain, even modest rainfall in the coming hours could cause new problems.

Here’s the latest:

  • Casualties recorded: Seven people have died as storms continue across Indiana, including a 4-year-old boy who was killed after a tree fell on his home in Jennings County, CNN affiliate WISH reported. The latest known fatality is believed to be a 31-year-old cyclist found dead early Sunday in a sinkhole that opened up on a washed-out road in Henry County, The Associated Press reported. On Saturday, an 18-year-old’s body was recovered from the Mississinewa River, CNN affiliate WRTV reported. Matthew Morey, a recent high school graduate who planned to attend Purdue University, was swept away by flood currents after entering the river on Wednesday evening. On Friday, a 58-year-old woman was found dead near her car on a flooded road in Yorktown, Indiana, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. Authorities believe she tried to drive through several feet of water when her vehicle was swept away.
  • More storms to come: Soaking overnight storms brought flash flooding from Iowa to West Virginia. Most of those storms largely fizzled out by early Sunday afternoon, but the rain threat still isn’t over. A new round of storms has begun in Illinois and West Virginia and will spread east overnight Sunday into Monday.
  • River flooding: In Noblesville, Indiana, the White River set a new record level as it reached major flood stage early Saturday morning with a crest above 24 feet.
  • Bridge heavily damaged: Officials in Hamilton County, Indiana, expressed relief Sunday morning as weather conditions continue to improve and water recedes, but they cautioned recovery could take time. The bridge on Hazel Dell Parkway, near 106th Street in Carmel, was severely damaged and is undergoing assessments of its structure to determine whether it is repairable.

Renewed flood danger late Sunday

Another round of storms will likely move through Appalachia late Sunday through early Monday.

A line of severe thunderstorms is moving east across Ohio into Pennsylvania. There are reports of downed trees and power lines across Ohio, and a tornado warning was issued about 25 miles east of Canton.

West Virginia faces the greatest risk from another round of flooding rain, a Level 3 of 4, which will kick into another gear in the evening as storms head east.

Exactly where the heaviest rain lands remains uncertain, but forecast models suggest more than 4 inches could fall in the hardest-hit areas, with isolated totals topping 6 inches through Monday.

A broader Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain remains elsewhere in Appalachia, the mid-Atlantic and the Ohio Valley. These storms will weaken as they move into the mid-Atlantic but an intense downpour could still bring the risk of a flash flood.

The flood threat will ease Sunday overnight — especially by later Monday morning — as a cold front scoops up the remaining showers in the Mid-Atlantic and drives them into southern New England and out to sea. It will leave behind drier conditions and bring a reprieve to the nonstop flooding.

Evacuations and disaster emergencies

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said Saturday afternoon President Donald Trump told him he intended to approve the state’s request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration.

In a social media post Saturday, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city was “experiencing its most severe flooding in 30+ years,” urging residents in some areas to evacuate.

The Indianapolis Fire Department and other Marion County agencies conducted 56 water rescues over an eight-hour period Saturday evening, rescuing 100 people and 48 pets, the city’s Emergency Management Director Jacob Spence told CNN on Sunday.

The city estimated around 400 people had been evacuated on Saturday in Ravenswood, one of Indianapolis’ worst-flooded neighborhoods, Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Martin said in a Saturday news conference.

Ravenswood resident Robert Sizemore evacuated from his home Friday after floodwaters from the nearby White River inundated the area.

Sizemore paddled a canoe back to his home through the flooded neighborhood alongside a few of his friends while looking to retrieve some of his belongings and rescue his cat.

When Sizemore returned to his home, not only did he find that the waters rose far more than he expected, but he also found that the floodwaters nearly reached the second floor.

In Broad Ripple, another Indianapolis neighborhood, Bret Irving passed a street at 7 a.m. ET Saturday and saw about an inch of water. Six hours later, the water rose to his belly button. He’s 6’3,” he added.

Irving said his sister and her husband evacuated their house because their basement started to flood.

“Water was just coming out of their walls and squeezing through holes … the basement was just getting bad, and the water was coming in now on both ends of the street and if they didn’t leave, they would’ve been waterlocked basically,” Irving said.

Yorktown, in Indiana’s Delaware County, declared a local disaster emergency Thursday, when first responders were working around the clock to assist with evacuations. Drone footage shared by the city showed houses, vehicles and roads submerged in muddy floodwater. Yorktown Fire Department Lt. Blair Webster told CNN that floodwater was chest-deep in parts of Yorktown, he said.

Photos and a video posted by the Yorktown Public Library show water in the book stacks and submerged children’s toys.

Timothy Hicks, a father of six, told The Associated Press it was “a panic to get out of here” when floodwater began pouring into their Cambridge City, Indiana, house on Wednesday.

“I just started grabbing them, running them out to the car without even getting shoes, clothes or anything like that,” he said. Video of the home shows ruined bedrooms, a damaged bike and a flooded yard. “It just crushes me. My kids’ house is gone,” Hicks added.

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China’s most famous comedian under investigation for joke about communist song

Hong Kong (CNN) — A stand-up comedian, considered one of China’s most influential cultural figures, has been placed under investigation and had performances cancelled after he joked about a communist party song.Guo Degang, China’s best-known comic, was accused of violating public morals after he improvised his own lyrics to a famous Chinese revolutionary song during a performance in Wuhan at the end of July.He was reported to the city’s Culture and Tourism Bureau by a complainant who said he had “not only distorted and vulgarized a classic revolutionary work, but also violated public morals and accepted standards of conduct,” according to a screenshot of the letter published by state-affiliated media thePaper.Guo’s trouble underscores the delicate line comedians must tread in highly censored China, especially as its ruling communist party steps up its ideological drive.The song in question, “Playing my beloved pipa,” is said to capture the resilient spirit of communist guerrilla forces fighting the Japanese during the Sino-Japanese war. It was featured in a famous 1950s Chinese movie called Railroad Guerrillas, and in 2019 was one of 100 songs chosen to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.The original lyrics are: “The sun is about to set in the west; all is quiet on Weishan lake.” But Guo adapted the second part to instead say “all is quiet in the Forbidden City,” and performed the song in a comedic style.The mention of the Forbidden City –– the sprawling palace complex in the heart of Beijing that served as the seat of power for China’s imperial rulers for hundreds of years –– could be politically sensitive in China because of its close historical association with whoever is in power.The Wuhan Culture and Tourism bureau said, “the adapted portion performed by Guo Degang was not included in the materials submitted for prior approval and is suspected of violating the Regulations on the Administration of Commercial Performances,” reported thePaper.The bureau confirmed to CNN that its investigation into Guo was ongoing, adding that they do not know when the results will be announced.CNN has reached out to Guo for comment.Guo had been on a nationwide tour to celebrate his theatre group’s 10th anniversary, but CNN has learned that some of his later performances have been cancelled.“There is no date or plan for a possible return. Ticket holders will be refunded automatically,” said a worker from Xi’an Chanba Poly Grand Theater, where Guo was scheduled to perform this week.Guo is credited with reviving a type of traditional Chinese comedy called crosstalk and is a household name in China. Along with several renowned Peking opera artists, he founded the Qilin theatre company to help promote lesser-known traditional Chinese art forms to a broader audience.The news the beloved star is under investigation has become one of the most discussed topics in Chinese social media.Some internet users think he should be punished for altering red (communist) songs, with one user saying that “art is to serve the people, if people don’t like it then please do not make such art.” Though some users on China’s tightly censored social media platforms suggested the officials were being “oversensitive.”Limited space for artistic expressionPerformers in China are facing an increasingly limited space for artistic expression, as the communist party aims to bring China’s online, celebrity and media in line with the doctrines of “Xi Jinping’s Thought.”It is not the first time that artists have faced backlash, or even the end of their career, for saying the wrong thing.Three years ago, Chinese stand-up comedian Li Haoshi was fined 14.7 million yuan ($2 million) in 2023 after he used a phrase associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) when he told a story about two stray dogs.After his joke prompted anger from officials, Li apologized. But he was banned from performing indefinitely, and he has not been seen in public since.In 2022, comic Li Bo was fined 50,000 yuan ($7,400) for joking about the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in Shanghai and teasing teenagers.CNN’s Shuai Zhang contributed to the reporting.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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