The remaining residents of Rocky Ripple, a town tucked between the White River and the Indiana Central Canal, had a choice to make the morning of Aug. 15: stay and endure the flood, or evacuate.
Most had evacuated the night before, and this would be the final chance to leave for those who chose to stay behind. Police loudspeakers blared a warning: “Attention: The 53rd Street Gate is going to be closed. You need to evacuate.”
The 53rd Street Bridge was the last exit out of Rocky Ripple. Once the floodgates were closed, residents would not be able to leave.
The closing of the final floodgate on 53rd Street was the deciding factor in lifelong resident Destiny Davis’s decision to leave. So Davis brought her dog and her cat and hoped for the best.
The historic flood that snaked its way through Central Indiana over the weekend shook the region, damaging homes, businesses and roads as portions of White River crested up to 24 feet.
Families scrambled to emergency shelters as their homes were swamped with flood waters. Community members helped businesses keep waterlogged streets at bay with mops, buckets and sandbags. Onlookers gawked at the streets-turned-rivers, offered a hand to stuck motorists and even caught fish.
On Aug. 15, President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Indiana, mobilizing federal flood disaster funds. The statewide impact of the disaster, which first began with a round of severe thunderstorms Aug. 11 and flooded counties across the state, included at least six deaths and tens of millions of dollars in property damage.
“I expect this to be a very extensive cleanup and recovery operation, almost statewide,” Indiana Department of Homeland Security executive director Jonathan Whitham said Aug. 15.
And with continued rain and possible flooding Aug. 17, the full extent of the flood’s impacts is yet to be determined.
Roads washed out, homes under water
The flooding in Central Indiana appeared to work its way south over the weekend, cresting to record-breaking levels in Noblesville the evening of Aug. 14 before continuing downstream to Broad Ripple, Ravenswood and Rocky Ripple.
Flood waters broke off a section of River Road near the Fashion Mall in Indianapolis and washed out a stretch of Hazel Dell Parkway in Carmel on Aug. 15.
First responders rescued dozens of people from water-filled homes. Ravenswood resident Julio Enciso, who was rescued by boat with his family, had woken up the morning of Aug. 15 to 20 inches of water in his house. Water also swelled around the Indianapolis Arts Center’s ARTSPARK, jeopardizing works of art like John McNaughton’s Twisted House sculpture.
Later on, public safety officials evacuated residents of the Bickford of Carmel assisted living facility and urged residents of a neighborhood near the washed away River Road to evacuate due to structural integrity concerns.
While neighborhoods in flood-prone areas bore the brunt of the event, water levels rose in other areas across town. That’s because storm drains can only handle so much runoff, Aaron Updike, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, told IndyStar.
Mid-day Aug. 15, public officials began issuing warnings for the south side of the city, including Sunshine Gardens and parts of Southport Road, as flooding continued downstream.
Community reacts to historic flood: ‘It’s just crazy’
As Indianapolis roads became rivers, community members emerged over the weekend to examine the historic flooding.
Some explored flooded neighborhoods on kayaks. Others stopped on bridges to gaze at the tumultuous waterways below.
In Broad Ripple Village, a group of people crossed waterlogged streets barefoot to watch the action from the porch at Plump’s Last Shot. Next door, employees and customers of Rusted Moon Outfitters worked furiously to keep the rising flood waters from seeping inside, working with buckets, trash cans and mops.
“It’s just crazy,” Joel Rodriguez, a waiter at La Piedad, told IndyStar on Aug. 15. “I’ve never seen this, ever.”
For some, it was business as usual. Cars made slow turns in the water, sending miniature tides that lapped at the curb. One jogger ran barefoot, holding his tennis shoes.
Still, the Monon Trail bustled with throngs of curious cyclists and pedestrians.
“The Monon’s busier than it’s been all year because everyone’s coming out to see it,” Bike Line worker Keegan Greene told IndyStar on Aug. 15.
Water levels in the White River reached its highest point in decades in some areas near Indianapolis. Before this flooding event, Indiana had already seen a record number of tornadoes in 2026 at 81.
“This is a historic event for Indiana,” Whitham, of Indiana DHS, said.
Now, the efforts turn toward rebuilding. Federal aid will go toward clearing debris and repairing power lines and roads, Whitham said.
But amid the tragedy, forced evacuations and an uncertain road ahead, there was a conspicuous glimmer of hope: a rainbow stretching above Ravenswood on Sunday morning, Aug. 16.
IndyStar reporters and editors Tony Cook, Tilly Robinson, Kaitlin Lange, Sophie Hartley, Cate Charron, Scott Horner, Heather Bushman, Bradley Hohulin, Hayleigh Colombo, Jen Guadarrama and Jordan Smith contributed reporting.
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Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Historic flood forces evacuations, swamps homes and swallows streets in Central Indiana
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
