By Matt Thacker
The Evening News and The Tribune
CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — Clark County is drying out from another round of heavy rain that brought more flooding to Southern Indiana on Sunday night.
More than 30 water rescues were reported in the county and some people were temporarily displaced, but there were no reports of injuries.
Clarksville Fire Department Maj. Doug Olson said dispatchers received 12 calls of people needing rescue, but as the firefighters were out working, they came across several other vehicles partially submerged in water.
“Some people were disregarding our blocking of roads. They would try to go around us and would get stuck,” Olson said.
The Charlestown Fire Department responded to about a dozen water rescues, but none serious, Lt. Andre Hill said.
“All of the rescues went swimmingly,” he said.
Hill said that many sections of roads throughout the city remained closed Monday morning, including Salem-Noble Road. Deep standing water also was reported on Interstate 65 just south of the Sellersburg exit.
In Sellersburg, several people were displaced from a mobile home community near Payne Koehler Road, officials said.
“In the trailer park, it was flooded pretty bad,” said Teresa Ball, public information officer for the Sellersburg Fire Department. “The water was really deep, and we had to pull them out of the trailer park.”
Among the displaced was a pregnant woman, Ball said.
The Clark County Red Cross opened a shelter at First Southern Baptist Church on Ettles Lane in Clarksville at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Kate Merchant, spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said the shelter was announced through the media, but no one showed up, so it closed Monday morning. Merchant said the people they knew of that were displaced elected not to go to the shelter.
Les Kavanaugh, Clark County Emergency Management director, said the county returned to normal operations at about 1 a.m. Monday. He said there were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries, but the flooding is getting tiresome for some.
Kavanaugh said he spoke to one man who just finished cleaning up from the Aug. 4 flood. His house again suffered damage in Sunday night’s flood.
“We’re in an unusual weather pattern,” he said, noting that these are 10- or 100-year rains.
Even with advance notice, it is very difficult to prepare for receiving 4 to 6 inches of rain in one hour. He is encouraging municipalities to “take a long look” at their stormwater systems as flooding continues to be an issue.
“These rain events are devastating,” Kavanaugh said. “They just stack on each other.”
The National Weather Service is forecasting scattered thunderstorms and rain throughout the week. Rescue workers hope that, if there is another flood, people will heed their warnings.
“If inclimate weather does occur, please stay home if possible,” Olson said. “If roads are flooded, look ahead to see if other cars have already been submerged.”
Copyright 2009
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News