From the evening of June 6 to the morning of June 7 2008, Central Indiana was pounded by severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. Amounts of nearly 11 inches were recorded in some areas. This rain quickly led to record-breaking flooding in some areas during the week after.
These storms were produced when strong winds above the ground interacted with an outflow boundary left over from the storms that produced severe weather earlier in the day of June 6. This left the region with too much water, mud and debris, which ultimately resulted in catastrophic damage, destruction and devastation around Columbus, Indiana and its surrounding counties.
Across the nation, people learned about the City of Columbus, possibly for the first time. While many didn’t realize there was a Columbus, Indiana, those who live there were experiencing flooding that had not been seen in about 100 years. Travelers stranded by rising, swift-moving floodwaters learned of Columbus as they became stranded on Interstate 65 and roads leading to and from the city.
Photo: American Red Cross
With all of the national coverage, however, nothing did the flood’s power justice. Nothing can quite prepare you for the sight of such devastation. Areas never known to flood were suddenly submerged in several feet of water and once quaint neighborhood streets and avenues were reduced to boat-only travel.
It wasn’t until the flood waters began receding that Mother Nature’s true force and devastation could be seen. What was left in the wake of this flood made many areas of the town virtually unrecognizable. Driving or walking through neighborhoods that had been completely saturated and submerged under tons of fast-moving, dirty river water was like moving into another time or place into what looked like a battle zone.
As I-65 South became passable again, major water trouble became apparent quickly. Excessively high levels of all the creeks and rivers leading into Columbus were found. Farmer’s fields were soggy with standing water. For many of these farmers, their livelihoods were drenched and showed no signs of drying out. Many of these crops were completely or partially lost.
Mud, dirt and river debris covered virtually every road and highway affected by the flood. Remnants of the flood were everywhere. Random objects sat in fields, including propane tanks from a local fuel company. Cars and trucks floated away during the flood and got scattered in fields waiting to be discovered by their owners.
Photo: American Red Cross
Life’s everyday-items were strewn about. Laundry baskets, grills, furniture and trash bags littered the county’s waterlogged corn and soybean fields.
As the water continued to recede, many businesses were considered a total loss and too-numerous-to-count homes were completely destroyed. Business, like Burger King, McDonalds and several gas stations were closed and had their inventory in their parking lots to see what, if anything, could be salvaged.
But the most sobering sight, by far, was traveling through the streets of Columbus and surrounding communities severely affected by the unforgiving, record-breaking flood waters. In some neighborhoods, piles of debris began appearing in front of every home.
The amount of ruined personal possession was staggering. It was an eerie sight to see peoples’ lives destroyed and piled up, just waiting to be hauled off the to the landfill. Photographs, cloths, toys, tables, chairs, beds, computers were everywhere. Just about anything found in a typical American home was lining the streets of Columbus following this epic flood. The devastation was overwhelming.
As it turned out, the June 2008 Midwestern United Stated floods were part of an on-going flooding event that had profound affects on a large portion of the Midwest. After several months of heavy rainfall, a number of rivers and creeks crested and overflowed their banks for numerous weeks at a time. Levees were broken at several locations and flooding continued into July.
The midwestern states affected by the flooding included Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. During this flooding crisis, the American Red Cross came to the aid of tornado and flood victims and the National Guard was mobilized to assist in disaster relief and evacuation efforts.
In Columbus, as the food waters rose, marines temporarily stationed at Camp Atterbury were called to assist in rescue and evacuation efforts.
During this period, flooding continued for about two weeks with central Iowa and Cedar Rapids hardest hit. In Missouri and Illinois, estuaries drained massive amounts of floodwater into the river. This devastating flood left 13 dead and damage region-wide, which was estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars.
As for Indiana, central and southwestern Indiana was particularly hard hit with damage costs expected to make the flood of June 2008 the costliest disaster in the history of the state. Commencing on June 4, rain saturated parts of south-central Indiana leading to initial floods in and around Bloomington.
On June 7, additional rain brought the worst of the flooding to larger portions of south-central and western Indiana. The highest recorded rainfall amount was in the small town of Edinburgh, which saw 10.94 inches (278 mm) of rain in a short seven hour period. Another Indiana town, Paragon, saw 10 inches (250 mm) of rain in just a few hours, which left 90% of the town underwater.
Not only were the East Fork of the White, the Driftwood and the Flat Rock Rivers rapidly rising above their banks, all creeks and streams were also on the rise. Haw Creek, which snakes through the city rose so rapidly and unexpectedly that the only hospital in town was flooded and had to be evacuated.
In fact, the major flooding in Columbus came from Haw Creek, which overflowed its banks following the torrential downpour encompassing central Indiana. Columbus, isolated by floodwaters, was shutdown because many city streets were under water.
During this flash flood along Hawcreek as well as the steady rise of all local rivers and streams, many people had roughly 15 minutes to evacuate from their homes and businesses. Most people had no time to gather their belongings and had to wade through rapidly rising, murky water and debris.
Many Indiana counties saw flood levels exceeding the records set in 1913. On June 9, President George W. Bush declared 29 counties in central Indiana a major disaster area opening up the region to receive federal aid and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance.
IMPACT
At this time, the county hospital remains closed and many businesses and homeowners are still in the process of recovering from this disaster. It will be months before many people can move back into their homes and before business will reopen. Some homes and business, however, have been condemned and will likely be bulldozed.
Governor Mitch Daniels estimates and expects total damages to top $1 billion.
Surprisingly, only two deaths were reported as a direct result of the flooding in Columbus, Indiana.
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