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Indiana flooding has claimed at least five lives as powerful floods swept through the state this week.
According to the officials, storms have continued to hit the state on Saturday, August 15, and rescue efforts have been intensified to help more people from rising waters in the neighbourhood along the White River in Indianapolis.
Joe Hogsett, the mayor of Indianapolis, and other state officials urged residents in areas at risk of flooding to heed any evacuation warnings at a news conference.
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"Six inches of water can stall out any vehicle. Eight inches of water can move a vehicle off a road. And then three inches of water can actually take somebody off their feet too. Flooded water is very, very dangerous," Jerry Martin, the deputy chief of the Indianapolis fire department, said at the briefing.
Indiana flooding kills at least five
In Delaware County, sheriff's deputies on Friday found the body of a 58-year-old woman whom they believe died after trying to drive through floodwaters.
They also recovered the body of a teenager who was first reported missing on Wednesday after jumping into a river. Earlier in the week, a four-year-old boy was killed after a tree fell on his home in Jennings County.
Flash flood warnings were issued for northeastern Hendricks County and northern Marion County in central Indiana.
Worst flooding in three decades
Authorities described the deluge's effects as unlike anything seen in roughly 30 years.
The National Weather Service reported that more than 28 cm of rain fell over a two-day period in some areas. The White River crested at more than 7.32 m (24 ft) in the communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.
President Trump vows to grant federal resources
Mike Braun, Indiana's Republican governor, confirmed on Saturday that President Trump is planning to approve his request for federal resources in order to reinforce rescue efforts.
As per research for the nonpartisan Urban Institute, Trump has approved a higher percentage of aid requests for Republican-led states than for Democratic-led states in his second term.
Rita Reith, a spokesperson with the Indianapolis Fire Department, said 95 people and 45 pets had been rescued as of late afternoon.
As of Saturday afternoon, more than 150,000 people were experiencing power outages, according to the northern Indiana public service company.
