Western Indiana gears up for potential flooding along the Wabash River

By DeAntae Prince
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE May 13, 2008 12:09 am

— The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for four southern and western Indiana counties, spanning territory from Crawfordsville to Vincennes.
Vigo, Sullivan, Parke and Vermillion counties have warnings slated to last for one to three days or longer as a result of weekend downpour, according to the weather service. Flooding is expected initially to hit lowlands, with the crest set to reach its zenith at 3 feet above the White and Wabash rivers’ flood stage, which is 14 feet. The warnings were assessed as a minor threat by most officials.
Vigo County Emergency Management said they don’t anticipate major flooding, but they’ll take the necessary precautions.
“We’re always prepared for flooding,” said J.D. Kesler, deputy director for planning.
“We have sandbags pre-filled and are always in touch with the county Highway Department, but we’re not anticipating anything like that. The most we expect is for a few fields to get water in them,” Kesler said.
Kesler said he’s spoken with Vermillion and Sullivan county representatives who also have minor warnings and only foresee slight flooding, with expectations of the lowest possible flood stage. Parke County also said no preparation for a flood was warranted, and that they were not taking precautions at the time being.
Though Kesler said he didn’t expect much, some flooding has already begun in southern Terre Haute, as three to four feet of water laced the street of Farmer Drive, just west of Bentley Place yesterday afternoon.
Meteorologist Sally Pavlow with the National Weather Service said they don’t expect much more than the preliminary flooding seen on the streets of those low agricultural landscapes. She said the river sat at 10 feet and should reach 14 feet at its peak.
“Not much,” Pavlow said when asked about possible flooding in the neighboring counties of Parke, Vermillion and Sullivan. She stated that the only flooding the weather service expects should be right along the Wabash River.

Tribune-Star reporter DeAntae Prince can be reached at (812) 231-4214 or deantae.prince@tribstar.com.