At least six people, including a 4-year-old kid, died after powerful storms and flooding swept across Indiana, state officials said on Saturday. Emergency crews used boats to rescue residents from rising waters in Indianapolis.Flooding was particularly severe along the White River in Indianapolis. Footages showed water covering streets and surrounding homes in the Ravenwood neighbourhood, where residents used kayaks and rowboats to move through flooded areas.The Indiana State Emergency Operations Center said the toll also included three women and two men. Two deaths were reported in Delaware County and one each in Jennings, Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, Reuters reported.The state Department of Homeland Security confirmed the sixth death later on Saturday, after officials had initially reported five fatalities, ABC News reported. Authorities said the storm system began hitting Indiana on August 11.Indiana governor Mike Braun said US president Donald Trump told him the state’s request for a presidential emergency declaration would be approved, paving the way for federal assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal disaster assistance was available to Indiana.Earlier in the week, severe weather also affected Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky, with tornadoes, heavy rain and flash flooding reported across parts of the Midwest. Nearly 1 million utility customers were without power at one point on Tuesday, while some outages continued in Indiana.Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett said the city was experiencing its most severe flooding in more than 30 years and urged residents to evacuate. Rita Reith, a spokesperson for the Indianapolis Fire Department, said 95 people and 45 pets had been rescued by late Saturday afternoon.“This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime type floods,” Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, told The Associated Press. “So yeah, this is an unprecedented event and unfortunately we’re setting some new records.”More than 350 evacuations were reported in Delaware County, while a senior mobile home community in Tipton County was also evacuated. Rescue operations and welfare checks were under way in Fayette County, while flash-flood warnings remained in effect for parts of central Indiana.The National Weather Service said some areas received more than 11 inches (28 cm) of rain over two days. The White River rose above 24 feet (7.32 metres) in Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.Authorities were continuing rescue and welfare operations as river levels remained elevated. Emergency teams were also monitoring further flood risks across central Indiana as conditions continued to change.
