(Brookville, IN) – The Franklin County Emergency Management Agency is providing a recap of its response to last week’s historic flooding along the Whitewater River.
The agency activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) last Wednesday after the National Weather Service forecast catastrophic flooding following Tuesday’s storms.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Clark County public safety personnel provided mutual aid in the EOC.
Clark County’s Search and Rescue team, along with local emergency crews and swift water rescue teams performed 31 water rescues in Laurel and another 14 in Metamora.
The Franklin County EOC was staffed 24 hours during the height of the response before staffing was reduced to 12 hours operations on Sunday (Aug. 16) and efforts shifted from emergency response to recovery.
The EOC is still active and is coordinating ongoing recovery operations.
Multiple nonprofit organizations and partner agencies remain active in Franklin County assisting residents with debris removal and cleanup. Teams are currently conducting damage assessments across the county. Residents whose homes were impacted by flooding are urged to submit their own reports to Indiana 211 at on.in.gov/IN-211 so we are able to assign case officers to assist.
As a reminder, please be mindful of disaster scammers. Officials say damage assessment staff will never ask for payment. If you suspect a scammer, contact the FEMA Scam Helpline at 800-621-3362 or stopFEMAfraud@fema.dhs.gov.
In Laurel, Metamora, and the English Woods Road area, EMA is coordinating for debris that has been sorted – according to FEMA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management guidelines – and placed on the side of the road to be picked up.
A mobile clinic will be present in Laurel on Wednesday, August 19 and Friday, August 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days to provide tetanus (Tdap) vaccinations.
Hepatitis A and B vaccinations are available at the Franklin County Health Department from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“Franklin County Emergency Management Agency thanks our many state, regional, and local partners for assisting through this disaster,” the agency said in a written statement.
