Strong rains, winds slam Southern Indiana
Mar. 3—SOUTHERN INDIANA — Southern Indiana faced flooded roads and wind damage Friday as severe weather moved through the area. As of late Friday afternoon, winds still were gusting in several areas.
Friday started with heavy rains that covered roadways in Clark and Floyd counties, and high winds hit the area in the afternoon, taking down power lines and trees.
Gavan Hebner, director of the Clark County Emergency Management Agency, said late Friday afternoon that first responders were seeing widespread issues with downed trees and power lines across the county.
There were three reports of trees falling on homes in the Clarksville area as of about 4:15 p.m. No injuries were reported.
Kent Barrow, director of the Floyd County Emergency Management Agency, said a tree fell on a house in Georgetown Friday afternoon due to the strong winds, but no injuries were reported.
The Duke Energy outage map showed 92 power outages in Clark County and 80 in Floyd as of 4:30 p.m. At that time, 8,620 Duke Energy customers were without power in Clark and 4,586 were without power in Floyd.
The rains led to road closures on multiple roadways in both Clark and Floyd counties, but Barrow said as the rains died down Friday afternoon, the flooding conditions appeared to be improving in Floyd County as of 4 p.m.
Hebner said Clark County was still dealing with flooded roadways in the late afternoon, particularly in areas along U.S. 31 such as Sellersburg, Memphis and Henryville.
He said there has been strong coordination and communication between the EMA, Clark County 911 Center, first responder agencies and National Weather Service as they responded to the severe weather.
Earlier Friday morning local officials urged people to take precautions as the area braced for the severe weather expected to be both flooding and strong winds.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch until 5 p.m. in the Southern Indiana and Louisville area, including Clark and Floyd counties.
The area experienced heavy rains and flooding throughout the morning, and high winds lasted throughout the afternoon.
School districts across Clark and Floyd counties moved to eLearning on Friday due to the severe weather, and many offices and businesses closed.
As of 1:30 p.m., only a couple of power outages were reported in Clark and Floyd counties, according to Duke Energy's outage map.
As the area faced the tornado watch, officials emphasize that people should have a plan to shelter in a safe spot. Hebner said if a tornado warning is issued, they need to go to the most interior room of their home, and they should avoid driving in the storm.
He said the Clark County EMA increased staffing throughout the day to respond to issues related to the severe weather.
According to Hebner, the flooding issues in the area along U.S. 31 in Sellersburg, Memphis and Henryville caused police officers to put up barricades because of water covering roadways.
If people see a flooded roadway, they should report it to Clark County's non-emergency dispatch line at 812-246-6996. Hebner encourages residents to sign up for the county's severe weather emergency notification system by texting "ClarkWxAlerts" to 226787.
Barrow said Floyd County also faced issues with flooded roadways Friday morning.
Early Friday afternoon, the Lafayette Township Fire Protection District posted on Facebook that several roadways in the Georgetown and Greenville area were flooded. Flood gates were closed on Buttontown and Hamby Road, and the 8000 block of Old Vincennes Road, Georgetown-Greenville Road at Cooks Mill Road and Bradford Road at Richland Creek were also covered by water.
People should remember the phrase "turn around, don't drown" if they encounter flooded roadways, Barrow said.
He said residents should listen to their weather radio if they have one and go to floydcountyema.org to sign up for Code Red emergency alerts.
Floyd County Sheriff Steve Bush said people should try to stay off the roads amid inclement weather. He noted that driving in severe conditions increases the risk of traffic accidents and fallen trees, putting a greater workload on agencies such as the sheriff's department and highway department.
"Use caution, and try not to drive on the roads unless you have to," he said.
