(CNN) — Drenching storms are rolling over the flood-ravaged Midwest for a sixth day early Friday, setting off more flooding in a region where hundreds of people have been forced from their homes in recent days.
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After a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall in parts of Indiana Wednesday, officials conducted water rescues and ordered evacuations as rivers burst their banks and floodwater rushed into homes and left roads impassable. Gov. Mike Braun on Thursday declared a statewide disaster emergency and mobilized the Indiana National Guard.
Millions across the Midwest remain under flood watches Friday as additional bouts of rain sweep through the flooded region where even modest rainfall could cause new problems.
Here’s the latest:
- Dangerous flooding ongoing: Storms are creating flash flooding from eastern Iowa, through central Illinois and central Indiana. Parts of Illinois are being drenched the most, but rain in Indiana has started to sink south of flood-ravaged locations.
- Authorities search for missing teen: In Delaware County, Indiana, authorities are searching for an 18-year-old missing after jumping into a river Wednesday night, though boat-based search operations have been suspended due to dangerous conditions, the sheriff’s office told CNN. Two other people were killed in Indiana earlier this week during a powerful derecho.
- Water rescues, evacuations: Authorities rescued residents from high water in several areas in Indiana, including Delaware, Madison, Wayne and Henry counties as rivers burst their banks. The White River in Anderson, Indiana, hit a record high of nearly 25 feet Friday morning — the highest in more than 100 years. Authorities worked to evacuate residents there and in nearby Muncie, Indiana, on Thursday. Flooding on the Whitewater River forced evacuations in Hamilton County, Ohio, and nearby Dearborn County, Indiana. Water levels dropped below flood stage along the river Friday morning.
- Not just Indiana: A flash flood emergency – the highest level of flood warning – was issued Thursday evening for Knott County in eastern Kentucky. Several water rescues were conducted in the northern part of the county late Thursday. In Ohio, some 375 people were forced to evacuate because of flooding.
Flooding pours into Indiana homes and businesses
Photos and videos out of Indiana show scenes of destruction as floodwater rushed into homes and businesses.
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 flooded yard. “It just crushes me. My kids’ house is gone,” Hicks added.
Security camera photos show the devastation caused by flooding in Metamora, Indiana, where numerous businesses were damaged Wednesday.
Bill Smith, owner of Village Smith and Village Smith Coffee Bar, told CNN many residents are facing significant losses.
“We won’t know until we see how much more flooding may occur with the incoming rain,” Smith said. “There’s not much we can say about the degree of loss until we can access our buildings.”
Disaster emergencies declared
Yorktown, in Indiana’s Delaware County, declared a local disaster emergency Thursday afternoon, with first responders working around the clock to assist with evacuations. Drone footage shared by the city showed houses, vehicles and roads submerged in muddy floodwater.
In the town of Muncie, water is deep enough in the streets that rescuers are using motorized boats and essential infrastructure is failing. “I’ve been with the department for 29 years, and I’ve never seen flooding like this,” the city’s Fire Chief Dan Burford told CNN Thursday.
Authorities in Delaware County are also continuing to search for 18-year-old Matthew Morey, who went missing after he and three others reportedly jumped from a bridge into the Mississinewa River Wednesday night, according to the sheriff’s office.
Crews had to pause search efforts Thursday afternoon due to rising water levels. They were still checking river banks and using thermal drones Friday morning, Sheriff Tony Skinner told CNN, but operations in the water remain suspended due to the dangerous conditions. “We will do everything we can short of putting others at risk until the river goes down several more feet,” Skinner said.
In nearby Anderson in Madison County, Indiana, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency and issued evacuation orders Thursday along the swollen White River and other waterways.
Fire departments in Anderson’s Madison County “have been busy all day” with evacuations and “some water rescues,” and more than 300 animals are being evacuated from a flooded animal shelter, Sheriff John Beeman told CNN Thursday night.
Renewed flood danger Friday
Iowa and northwestern Illinois face the greatest risk of flooding rain Friday — a Level 3 of 4 — but more storms are targeting communities in Indiana and Ohio already soaked this week.
Storms stretched from the Plains to Indiana late Friday morning and were slowly sinking south and starting to ease up. Another round of storms will likely move through the same area Friday night through early Saturday.
Exactly where the heaviest rain lands remains uncertain, but forecast models suggests more than 5 inches could fall in the hardest-hit areas, with isolated totals topping 8 inches through Saturday.
A broader Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain is in place through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. Rainfall totals may be lower there, but intense downpours could quickly renew flooding in waterlogged communities.
The flood threat should ease somewhat Saturday but won’t disappear.
The main corridor for heavy rain will shift north and east. A Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain is in place, but another risk level upgrade is possible depending on which areas are hardest hit Friday.
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