UPDATE: Water on the rise

by Kevin Lilly
Pharos-Tribune staff writer

January 09, 2008 10:37 am

— MONTICELLO — Trees, picnic tables, children’s toys, boats, personal watercraft, sheds, propane tanks, gas cans — all those things swept into and down the Tippecanoe River on Tuesday.
Residents of Monticello, Buffalo and Monon watched helplessly as water filled their homes and summer cottages.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Rick Provo, who has lived in White County for 54 years.
A thunderstorm dumped between four and six inches of rain in about 12 hours onto what was already saturated ground. Emergency personnel spent much of the day plucking people from their homes via boat. About 150 people had to be evacuated.
Anne Heims and Hillis, her husband of 60 years, feared going back to their home in Monon. Water filled the backyard and vehicles passing by on U.S. 421 sent water into their driveway. The couple spent the day in the Monon Civic Center, which served as an emergency shelter for more than 40 people.
“It was a little hectic this morning,” said Natalie Moore of the Cass-White Red Cross.
Flood victims were lucky to grab clothes as water poured into their homes early Tuesday, Moore said. Large portions of the town were flooded, including the Monon fire station.
On Tuesday morning, Provo stood on Francis Street near Norway overlooking the cottage he bought a little more than a year ago. He took photos with his cellular telephone of the water lapping its siding.
“We had a great time this summer,” Provo said. “Now we’re going to have a great time cleaning up.”
The water caused extensive damage to more than 100 homes in the two river towns. Provo said the river was at least 10 feet above its normal level.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, officials said, the water was at 12.45 feet at the Norway Dam. The Tippecanoe River was expected to crest by Thursday.
Nearby, the Norway Campground is nestled in the dam’s shadow.
Shawn Gawell, maintenance manager of the campground, had to use a backhoe to make his way to the last person still inside a camper as water levels reached three feet. Once close enough, he punctured a hole in the camper’s side and awakened the occupant, who got into the bucket and was driven to safety.
The creek that runs through the campground flowed hard enough to crunch camper trailers against trees. Harold Myers, owner of the campground, was not optimistic about salvaging his recently purchased business.
“We’ll be lucky to get a season started,” he said.
At the time of the flooding, the campground’s 100 spaces were occupied by 72 seasonal camper trailers. All were ruined.
Many residents in the Bluewater Beach area would have to wade to leave their property. The Tippecanoe River overwhelmed the only road out.
Glen Hooper gasped when a large floating object crashed into the side of a house across the street from his residence on Bluewater Drive. Hooper said he had not been told to evacuate. His house sits on higher ground than his unfortunate neighbors, whose houses, vehicles and boats on trailers were under water.
Another neighbor, Bill Sredl, said the river had risen four inches between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. When he last saw his waterfront home, the river was up to the back step. He joked about the condition of his submerged boat.
“Now I have a submarine for sale,” he said.
Sredl recounted how he freed two dogs from a cage inside a house that would soon be surrounded by water.
“They would have been drowned,” he said.
Sredl was making his way through the neighborhood to ensure other pets were not in similar situations. He said he didn’t intend to evacuate.
“I’m not leaving my house,” Sredl said. “That’s all there is to it.”
He feared that if he left looters would break in and steal his valuables.
Search and rescue boats motored along the swollen river throughout the morning in Buffalo. Fire Chief Richard Westerhouse said his department had rescued about 24 people from their homes.
Twenty-five Monticello firefighters responded to a call at 5:14 a.m. to help in evacuating residents trapped by rapidly rising flood waters along the Tippecanoe River. Units responded to Bluewater Beach and immediately deployed boats to the Diamond Point Court area. Assistance was requested from the Indiana Conservation officers, Logansport Fire Department and the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department.
Crews waded through the water to make a house-to-house search of 40 homes along Diamond Point Court, rescuing eight people, one of whom was confined to a wheelchair. The victims, along with two dogs and three cats, were taken by boat back to Bluewater Beach, where they were then transported to shelters. One couple refused to be evacuated.
The search was made difficult by the rapidly rising water and numerous submerged obstacles and floating debris. What was knee deep water at the beginning of the operation soon became more than six feet deep in places. The depth of the water and the swift current ultimately forced firefighters working on foot into boats to finish their search. Water conditions became so treacherous that several rescue boats were unable to navigate through the flooded Tippecanoe River.
Crews made a secondary search of all 40 residences to ensure that everyone was accounted for.
Firefighters later responded to the Pleasant Valley Court area on Lake Freeman to investigate reports of people trapped. One firefighter even responded with his own army surplus, six-wheel-drive truck, which is capable of fording waters that would drown normal vehicles. Firefighters checked about 35 homes and determined that no rescues were needed. Residents were assured as to the stability of the dams and given information on emergency shelter should the need arise.
Firefighters were fed when they returned to quarters by Kinser’s Bakery, the American Red Cross and Burger King.
Later in the afternoon, firefighters were again called into action to assist the Monticello Police Department in evacuating the west side of the 600 and 700 blocks of Blue Water Drive.
Tippecanoe County Ambulance Service provided two paramedic ambulances to assist local firefighters in providing emergency medical coverage. Both Kokomo and Peru fire departments put their water rescue teams on standby, but they were not deployed.
Firefighters later responded to the 500 to 700 blocks of Bluff Street where they went door to door to help NIPSCO checking for flooded basements.
During the water rescue emergency, firefighters were still able to respond to four medical calls and a general fire alarm.
Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com

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