DEARBORN COUNTY, Ind. — Evacuations have been ordered for communities along the Whitewater River Thursday night due to the flooding of the river, according to the Dearborn County Emergency Management Agency, Hamilton County EMA and the City of Harrison.
A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for residents in the following areas in Dearborn County:
- Longnecker
- Pinhook
- Cranes Run
- Barber
- Bonnie Lane
- Herberts Lane
- Cobblestone Court
- Stonefield's Lane
- Loia Creek Lane
- Anyone living along or immediately adjacent to the Whitewater River
The City of Harrison has issued an evacuation alert for residents in the following areas:
- Campbell Road, from State Street to Featherwood Drive
- State Street, approximately the first 20 homes north of the Campbell Road intersection and
- Featherwood Drive, from Campbell Road to Whippoorwill Drive
- Along Lawrenceburg Road down to Suspension Bridge Road
Residents in the affected areas should leave immediately and move to a safe location outside the evacuation area.
Dearborn County EMA told us that by 7:20 a.m. Friday morning, they'd performed seven rescues. Two of those rescues were people who had driven past barricades and into flooded roadways, EMA said.
WATCH: We monitor flood levels around the Whitewater River
For all evacuated residents, an evacuation shelter is set up at 505 Bielby Road in Lawrenceburg. Anyone who may need transportation to the shelter can go to the Harrison Community Center at 300 George Street in Harrison, where shuttles to the shelter will be provided.
Pets are also welcome at the shelter, the Hamilton County EMA said.
Evacuated communities were also experiencing power outages Friday morning. According to a message from Duke Energy, flooding in Indiana has damaged electrical equipment and limited crews' access to some areas, so power restoration will likely take more time.
Evacuations began in some Indiana communities Thursday morning, as floodwaters rapidly rose in towns like Connersville, Metamora and Laurel.
WATCH: Here's what conditions in Laurel were like early Thursday morning
Emergency management officials told us that as of 10 a.m. Thursday morning, there had been at least 25 water rescues from homes in Laurel.
The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department told us Thursday morning that residents were urged to evacuate and shelter at the community center. Jackson Street in Laurel is seriously flooded, with waters "currently chest-deep," the fire department said on social media.
In Connersville, officials told us that the flood stage for the area is 14 feet, but it had already topped 22 feet within the last 24 hours or so.
WATCH: Connersville residents begin flooding cleanup, brace for more rain
The town has seen more than a dozen residents receiving assistance from rapid and flowing waters, but thankfully, there have been no reported injuries or deaths at this time.
One Connersville resident, Barbara Wright, told us the flooding was something she hadn't seen in decades.
"It just makes you, you know, it just makes you sick," Wright said. "It does. It really does. It makes you sick."
On Wednesday night, Metamora Volunteer Fire officials called for people in low-lying areas of Metamora, Cedar Grove, and other areas along the Whitewater River to evacuate as the National Weather Service predicted water levels would rise six feet above flood stage early Thursday morning.
Lt. Andrew Roberts said they had spent the day preparing to respond to water rescues on those who refused to heed the warning.
"If people are used to seeing the river coming up to their yard a little bit, you can expect it to go a lot further, even into their houses," he said.
