Published: February 12, 2009 10:47 am      

Severe weather hits area

60 mph winds and heavy rain cause havoc

Winds in excess of 60 miles-an-hour caused power outages and property damage Wednesday night, while heavy rainfall and rising river levels left the area on the brink of widespread flooding.

Much of the east and north sides of Logansport lost power for about two hours, while some Duke Energy customers in Galveston were still without power this morning.

Logansport Municipal Utilities superintendent Paul Hartman said that power was lost at four of five substations, leaving 2,000 customers without power between 8 and 10 p.m.

“We had high winds above 60 miles an hour,” Hartman said. “That is tropical-storm force, which is not something our lines in Logansport are capable of handling.”

Lou Middleton, media relations representative for Duke Energy, said that workers would be on the scene in Galveston early today to assess the situation, describing the issue as “a 10,000-foot-level problem.”

“Some 10, 15, 16 people are out along different parts so it’s not a huge number,” Middleton said.

Alvin Beckman, director of the Cass County Emergency Management Agency, said that damaged trees at Galveston had fallen onto power lines, including the main electrical feeders into the community.

He reported that high winds had left countless tree limbs on state highways and county roads. Early in the evening Wednesday, a home west of Georgetown suffered minor damage from an uprooted tree.

For much of Wednesday, attention was firmly on rising water levels in area creeks, rivers and streams.

Flood warnings are still in place on the Eel River. Southeastern Cass, southern Miami and southern Wabash counties, as well as urban creeks, and streams were placed under flood warnings until early today.

The National Weather Service reported a weather system moving up from the south dumped from three quarters of an inch to one and a half inches of rain on the area Wednesday afternoon, with saturated ground causing excess runoff into the adjacent rivers and streams that by this morning were close to cresting.

Beckman said that department officials remained on duty throughout the night to monitor the situation across the county, but with no more rain in the forecast today, he believes the area has seen the worst of the flooding.

“By 11 p.m. we could see some receding of the water and mild signs that everything was cresting,” Beckman said. “We will continue to monitor the rivers, though. The Wabash is set to go up based on what happened to the east of us.”

According to the National Weather Service, the Wabash River had reached 11.58 feet by 1 a.m. today, rising from less than 7 feet Wednesday morning. The river is expected to peak at 12.3 feet on Friday, just above the flood action zone.

Beckman reported that the department had made up 100 sandbags as a precautionary measure on Wednesday afternoon with deliveries made to two homes near Pike Creek Falls.

While no roads were closed, motorists throughout the region experienced difficulties navigating flooded sections of state highways and county roads.

Beckman said he could not highlight one particular area as being worst hit but he said roads were not closed because the water was only two or three inches deep.

Volunteers with the Cass and White County Red Cross were also busy on Wednesday preparing emergency accommodation for flood victims.

Executive director Jill Baughman said six shelters — four in White, two in Cass — were ready if and when, they were needed.

“Volunteers are on standby and the equipment is ready to go if the water rises and we need to evacuate,” Baughman said.

In total the Red Cross had 24 volunteers ready to aid evacuees, including some specifically trained to assist those suffering with the mental trauma of losing their home, something Baughman admitted was lacking during last year’s severe floods.

Baughman advised residents to pay attention to the weather and water levels and to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“It can come quickly especially if it continues to rain,” Baughman said. “One of the biggest problems that we had last year was that people thought it could not happen to them. They need to listen and have important things like medication and their drivers license close by.”

Beckman also recommends that residents stay up with the weather developments and contact emergency services if they are concerned.

“The advice to residents is to keep an eye on it,” he said. “If they see something that might be a problem contact my office or E-911 center.”

Kevin Smith can be contacted at (574) 732-5148 or via e-mail at kevin.smith@pharostribune.com



Driving tips

The Indiana State Police offers the following tips for motorists encountering flooded areas.

• Do not travel unless absolutely necessary. If you have to travel, carry a cell phone with a car charger.

• Buy a weather scanner and heed all flood and flash flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

• Do not drive around barricades at water crossings.

• Be especially vigilant at night. Many drowning deaths occur at night when it is difficult to see water crossings.

• Do not cross or enter flowing water. Driving fast through high water on the road is not a solution. Faster speeds create less tire contact with the road surface and increase your chance of crashing.

• Driving through standing water might affect your brakes. Test your brakes at low speeds as soon as you leave the water.

• If you choose to abandon your vehicle, respect the force of the water flow, you may be swept off your feet. After you leave the vehicle seek higher ground.

• Be aware that road erosion may occur when there is running or standing water.

• Remember that six inches of water will reach the bottom of most car doors. One foot of water will float many vehicles, and two feet of moving water can carry away most vehicles.



Call for help

Residents concerned about flooding are encouraged to contact the Cass County EMA at (574) 722-2484