At least 7 people have died from days of heavy rain and record-setting
flooding in Indiana
[August 17, 2026]
By PHILIP MARCELO and OBED LAMY
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — Days of storms and flooding in Indiana left at
least seven people dead as floodwaters receded in Indianapolis’ White
River and rains eased in other parts of the state Sunday.
Frank Gounder was among the Indianapolis residents assessing the damage
Sunday, which also happened to be his 37th birthday.
The furniture maker, who lives on the city’s hard-hit northside, less
than a mile from the White River, had been at home as floodwaters crept
up his driveway until they were about 2 feet deep (0.61 meters) in the
house and his workshop.
Now Gounder is left to pick through waterlogged materials and handmade
furniture in various stages of completion to see what, if anything,
could be salvaged.
“It’s a lot. Before the water had actually gotten into my house and I
saw that it was going to happen, I started freaking out, getting mad,”
he said. “But after you realize you can’t do anything about it, you kind
of just have to let go and just continue, or else you’re just going to
be miserable.”
Storm victims mourned
A 4-year-old boy, three men and three women were among those who had
died since the storms began Aug. 11, said Liz Woods, a spokesperson for
the state Department of Homeland Security.
Among the latest confirmed victims was a 31-year-old cyclist found dead
early Sunday in a hole that opened up on a washed-out road in Henry
County, east of Indianapolis.
Henry County Coroner Brian Clark said the man, James Briar, appears to
have gone around a barricade and fallen into the collapsed road.
Officials in Jennings County, in the southern end of the state, said the
youngest victim reported so far was killed Tuesday when a tree crashed
through his bedroom during strong winds.
“This is obviously unexpected,” Cody Low, chief deputy at the Jennings
County Sheriff’s office, told the local ABC affiliate. “There’s nothing
we can say that is going to make it any better. We’re going to push
through this as a community.”
The other victims included a 19-year-old man whose body was recovered
Saturday. Officials in Delaware County, located east of Indianapolis,
said Matthew Morey had jumped off a bridge into the rushing waters of
the Mississinewa River with friends three days earlier.
Family and friends gathered earlier in the week at the bridge to
remember the recent high school graduate, who was headed to Purdue
University, and warn of the dangers of swollen rivers.
“There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child,” Delaware
County Sheriff Tony Skinner said in a statement on Sunday. “Our hearts
are with Matthew’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew
and loved him.”
Skinner's office also confirmed Stephanie Sallee and her dog were found
dead in a cornfield Friday, not far from Sallee's car. They believe the
58-year-old had been driving on a flooded road when the vehicle was
swept away.
In social media posts, Sallee's family remembered her as a sweet, kind
and “spunky lady” who adored her grandchildren and other young
relatives.
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Vehicles sit in water in front of a flooded home in Indianapolis,
Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
Recovery efforts are underway
In Indianapolis, flooding from the White River peaked early Sunday
morning before receding, the city Department of Public Works said.
The agency reopened city floodgates Sunday, though they urged
residents to be cautious as they returned to flood-damaged
neighborhoods. Emergency shelters remained open after hundreds of
homes along the river and its canals were evacuated. First
responders used boats to rescue people stranded by rapidly rising
floodwaters.
Recovery efforts were also underway elsewhere in the state.
“I must admit it is a good morning,” Christine Altman, president of
the Hamilton County board of commissioners, said during a Sunday
briefing. “It’s not raining, and the water is receding.”
She said the county, located just north of Indianapolis, escaped
without any loss of life, though officials were assessing whether a
significant bridge damaged in the flooding could be repaired or if
it needed to be completely replaced.
While northern parts of Indiana dried out, a cluster of storms was
expected to pass through the central and southern regions later
Sunday, bringing the potential for heavy rain, flash flooding and
damaging winds, the National Weather Service warned.
Nearly 130,000 utility customers statewide remained without power as
of late Sunday, down from a peak of around 300,000, according to the
online utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
Storms brought historic flooding to Indiana
Heavy rains hammered Indiana over the past week, causing rivers to
crest and setting records as roads and bridges were seriously
damaged or washed out entirely by the rushing waters.
The White River crested at more than 24 feet (7.32 meters) in the
communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in
1913.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the flooding was the worst the
city has seen in more than 30 years.
Gov. Mike Braun’s office said more than 350 evacuations and scores
of rescue and welfare checks have occurred elsewhere in the state,
including at a senior mobile home community north of Indianapolis.
President Donald Trump on Saturday approved Braun’s request for
federal disaster assistance to help with flooding response and
recovery efforts.
The drenching rains and destructive flooding were among the impacts
of severe storms that have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and
beyond in recent days.
Tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding brought serious damage to
communities from Illinois to western Pennsylvania.
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Marcelo reported from New York.
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