BROWNSTOWN – A family of ten was safely evacuated from their home west of Brownstown Sunday afternoon as floodwaters from the East Fork White River surrounded them. The incident was one of numerous water-related emergencies as Jackson County grapples with the aftermath of 8 to 10 inches of rainfall since Wednesday, with Brownstown receiving nine inches.
Brownstown Fire Chief Travis McElfresh reported that his department had responded to ten incidents involving motorists and individuals caught in the rising floodwaters since the heavy rains began.
The deluge has pushed the East Fork White River to near-record levels at Rockford, north of Seymour. At 3:45 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service projected the river to crest at 19.8 feet at 2:00 a.m. Monday. This would mark the third-highest crest on record, just below the 21.0 feet reached on March 26, 1913, and the 20.91 feet recorded on June 8, 2008.
Later Sunday, the Brownstown swift water rescue unit was called to assist Indiana Conservation Officers in locating a kayaker whose vessel had capsized in the floodwaters east of the State Road 258 bridge near Seymour, according to McElfresh. The man was found clinging to a tree and was rescued by conservation officers. He received treatment from Jackson County Emergency Medical Services personnel before being transported to Schneck Medical Center.
Chief McElfresh noted that this kayaker rescue was the tenth water-related call the Brownstown swift-water rescue unit had responded to in recent days.
On Saturday night, the unit conducted what McElfresh described as their most technical water rescue since its inception about five years ago. In that incident, Brownstown rescue swimmer Devon Pruett had to enter the water to extract a driver from his vehicle, which had been swept 20 to 25 feet off the road into trees in the 800 block of North County Road 700E in the Seymour area. The airboat could not reach the vehicle, which was dangerously close to fully submerged, so Pruett and the driver had to be pulled back to the boat. Firefighters from Hamilton Township and Redding Township assisted at the scene.
Toby Ortman, director of the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency, stated that these water rescues and the evacuation were the only reported issues stemming from the floodwaters as of 3:30 p.m. Sunday. He strongly urged motorists to avoid driving onto roads covered by floodwaters.
Ortman added that there have been no requests for emergency shelter for those displaced by the flooding. The EMA has been focused on distributing sandbags provided by the state to each county, with 18 skids delivered to Medora and another six available at the Farmers Market in Seymour.
On Sunday afternoon, the ten-person family evacuated by the Brownstown Fire Department found temporary shelter with a family friend in Brownstown.
The East Fork White River is not expected to recede below flood stage until approximately 8:00 a.m. on Friday. Chief McElfresh anticipates the potential for more water rescues on Monday morning as people attempt to return to work, and rescue boats are being strategically positioned in key areas to assist if needed.
