OAN Staff Lillian Mann
1:31 PM – Sunday, August 16, 2026
Due to relentless storms and extreme flooding in Indiana, at least six people have died, according to local authorities.
After the storms began on August 11th, Northern Indiana saw destructive winds of 90 to 100 mph, and the National Weather Service (NWS) recorded nearly a foot of rain across central parts of the state in two days.
Governor Mike Braun (R-Ind.) declared a Statewide Disaster Emergency on August 13th as life-threatening storms swept across the region, while first responders used boats to reach stranded residents as floodwaters continued to rise.
On Sunday, local officials reported that at least 6 people had died since the record-breaking flooding began, including a 4-year-old boy, two men and three women.
“The state could see it coming, it was just a bigger event than what anybody forecasted,” Braun said Friday on NewsNation.
The downpour has sent Indianapolis’ White River surging to more than a 24-foot crest in Anderson and Noblesville, breaking the previous record of 23.6 feet that was set in March 1913, per Fox Weather.
High water levels are expected to hold on the White River for a few hours before starting to recede, according to the city’s Department of Public Works.
City shelters have remained open as raging floodwaters swept away roads and destroyed critical bridges across the region.
During a Sunday press conference, officials reported that floodwaters collapsed Hazel Dell Parkway, a crucial multi-lane roadway in Hamilton County. Engineers began inspecting the bridge to determine if it can be repaired.
According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, about 130,000 utility customers across Indiana have gone without power by midday Sunday, down from a peak of roughly 300,000.
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