The director of Indiana's Homeland Security Agency says damage assessments are underway in the northwest corner of the state, which had tornadoes and strong winds Tuesday.
Jonathan Witham says it's a different story in places like Wayne, Union and Fayette counties in the eastern part of the state.
“That will take probably weeks to really determine the total extent of the damage from a flood event,” he says. “One of the big challenges is you gotta wait for the water to come down to a point where it’s safe to go in, and inspect homes and talk to residents and see what kind of damage there is. We do know that around a thousand people, at least right now, have been displaced from their homes.”
Witham calls what east central Indiana saw Tuesday and Wednesday “historic levels of flooding.”
“We do have some infrastructure that’s been impacted: water, water treatment, some electrical substations. Those are going to be priorities to get back online as quickly as possible,” he says.
A section of westbound I-74 lanes was washed out. The interstate in Wayne County was repaired and reopened early Friday morning.
The governor has requested an emergency declaration from FEMA, which Witham says will provide some short-term help. He says he anticipates making a request for a presidential disaster declaration, which would free up funding for infrastructure repairs and for homeowners.
Witham says he knows there will be lots of members of the public who want to help.
“It is tough in these situations because people come out of the woodwork so quickly and they want to help, but that can be challenging for the locals,” he says. “Because we want to have an organized way to receive what’s actually needed. We’re setting up those processes right now.”
Indiana has activated the 211 system for several counties, which allows residents to report damage, and apply for help.
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