As monstrous storms battered Central Indiana this week, severe flooding forced some Indianapolis residents out of their homes and into the water.
Indianapolis officials urged Rocky Ripple residents to evacuate as the city began closing floodgates on Friday night, and as water levels rose last night, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works began urging people in Ravenswood to evacuate, too.
Some families left before the waterline crept inside their homes. Others were evacuated this morning by boat.
In the 24-hours beginning at 11 a.m. Friday, the Indianapolis Fire Department made 38 water rescues. Evacuations continued throughout the day.
In 2021, Julio Enciso bought a home in Ravenswood, a neighborhood carved out of the White River north of Broad Ripple.
Around 11 p.m. on Friday night, Enciso and his wife got an alert about flooding in the area, and they were told to move their cars to Riverwood Park overnight. Enciso wasn’t convinced by the alert and in the dark of night, he wondered if it would lead to any real flooding. But the couple moved their cars anyways – and they blocked their front doors to keep out water. Just in case.
Enciso woke up to nearly 20 inches of water inside the house.
First responders quickly evacuated the family. Enciso, his wife, four children and two foster children were pulled out of the flooded neighborhood on a bright red boat and hauled to safety. In a video of the evacuation Enciso pulled up on his phone, Ravenswood streets are indistinguishable from the adjacent waterway – save for cars and rooftops poking up through the flood. At the end of the video, Enciso panned to his face, which was stretched into a huge grin.
“We came out smiling,” he said. “Because we came out safe.”
The family made their way to the American Red Cross Shelter in Washington Township before making plans to stay with Enciso’s father, who offered them a spare bedroom. But Enciso has plans to go back to the home as soon as he can get to it; in the rush to evacuate, the family left behind belongings and important documents.
“I’m actually going to go back,” he said. “I have to.”
Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at sophie.hartley@indystar.com or on X at @sophienhartley. IndyStar’s environmental reporting is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ravenswood families flee flooded homes and streets by boat
Reporting by Sophie Hartley, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sophie Hartley, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
