Severe weather and flooding across Indiana resulted in at least seven confirmed deaths as residents assessed damage and began recovery efforts. The fatalities included a 4-year-old child, a 19-year-old man, a 31-year-old cyclist, a 58-year-old woman, and three others. The 4-year-old was killed Tuesday when a tree crashed through his bedroom during strong winds in Jennings County. The cyclist was found early Sunday in a collapsed road section in Henry County after apparently going around a barricade. A 19-year-old man drowned after jumping into the Mississinewa River in Delaware County three days prior, while a 58-year-old woman and her dog were discovered in a cornfield Friday after her vehicle was swept away on a flooded road.
The flooding began following days of heavy rainfall that caused rivers throughout the state to reach unprecedented levels. In Indianapolis, the White River crested at more than 24 feet Sunday morning, surpassing records established in 1913. The city’s Department of Public Works reopened floodgates Sunday as water levels began receding, though emergency shelters remained operational as hundreds of homes near the river and its canals had been evacuated. First responders conducted numerous boat rescues to aid people stranded by rapidly rising waters. Mayor Joe Hogsett characterized the flooding as the worst the city had experienced in more than 30 years.
Damage extended beyond Indianapolis, with roads and bridges severely compromised or destroyed statewide. Hamilton County, located north of the city, escaped fatalities but faced questions about whether a significantly damaged bridge could be repaired or required complete replacement. Gov. Mike Braun’s office reported more than 350 evacuations and numerous rescue and welfare checks throughout the state, including at a senior mobile home community. President Donald Trump approved a federal disaster assistance request Saturday to support response and recovery operations.
Utility outages affected the region, with nearly 130,000 customers without power as of late Sunday, down from a peak of approximately 300,000. Additional severe weather was expected to pass through central and southern Indiana later Sunday, bringing risks of continued heavy rain, flash flooding, and damaging winds. The flooding was part of a broader severe weather pattern impacting the Midwest and areas extending to western Pennsylvania, with communities in Illinois and neighboring states also experiencing tornadoes and significant storm damage.
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