‘Bigger event than anybody forecasted’: 100-year flood rocks Indiana
‘Bigger event than anybody forecasted’: 100-year flood rocks Indiana
Ashley N. Soriano Fri, August 14, 2026 at 6:49 PM UTC
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(NewsNation) — Homes are destroyed, shopping plazas and vehicles are submerged underwater, and communities are shocked after a "100-year flood" swept Indiana this week.
Rivers are still rising after the state was hit with storms and flash flooding.
The governor issued a statewide disaster emergency, and some cities are under a curfew.
Gov. Mike Braun said officials knew a storm was coming, but they were not expecting the magnitude.
Catastrophic Indiana flooding leaves families reckoning with the damage
"The state could see it coming, but it was just a bigger event than anybody forecasted," Braun told NewsNation's "Morning in America."
During the historic flood of 1913, the water level of the White River was at 23 feet. As of Friday morning, it was more than 24 feet.
Floodwaters submerged semis and other farm equipment near Laurel, Indiana, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Viewer Photo)
Floodwaters submerged semis and other farm equipment near Laurel, Indiana, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Viewer Photo)
Floodwaters submerged semis and other farm equipment near Laurel, Indiana, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Viewer Photo)
State Road 19 is currently under 5-6 feet of water. This is between West Logan Street and Forest Park Drive (Hannah Follman/WXIN)
The White River in Noblesville, Indiana, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Hannah Follman/WXIN)
The White River in Noblesville, Indiana, on Aug. 14, 2026. (Hannah Follman/WXIN)
A water rescue in Anderson, Indiana (Anderson University Police Department)
Braun said after a couple of tornadoes hit in the northwest part of the state, officials were "ready to go," but they "didn't anticipate record rainfall."
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The storms began in the northwest part of the state, which is densely populated and then swept down into the southern part of the state, where there's record flooding.
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The storms took out 125 feet of I-70, one of the biggest interstate sections in the country. Indiana Department of Transportation fixed it in a two-day turnaround, Braun said.
His concerns now are displaced families, homes and businesses in the flooded areas.
Braun said there is at least one missing person.
The National Guard has been mobilized for water rescues.
Braun said, "We've got everything as mobilized as you can get."
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