(Brookville, IN) – Franklin County Emergency Management staff, working alongside local, state, and regional partners, responded to catastrophic flooding on the Whitewater River last week.
The event prompted a multi-agency emergency response, the evacuation and rescue of dozens of residents, and the activation of three community shelters.
Franklin County has since transitioned from response to recovery operations.
The National Weather Service forecast catastrophic flooding along the Whitewater River ahead of the storm. In response, Franklin County Emergency Management Agency (FCEMA) activated the
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Wednesday, August 12, staffed jointly with mutual aid support from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Clark County public safety personnel.
Clark County’s Search and Rescue team, deployed to Laurel and Metamora along with local emergency management and swift-water rescue teams, performed 31 water rescues in Laurel and another 14 in Metamora.
The Franklin County EOC remained staffed 24-hours during the height of the response before reducing staffing to 12-hour operations on Sunday, August 16, as the focus shifted from emergency
response to recovery.
The EOC remains 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. 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, we are coordinating for debris that has been sorted according to FEMA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management guidelines and placed on the side of the right to be picked up.
A mobile clinic will be present in Laurel on Wednesday, August 19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, August 21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m to provide tetanus (Tdap) vaccinations. Hepatitis A & B vaccinations will be 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.
(Franklin County Emergency Management Agency press release)
