Indiana Doused by Foot of Rain; Interstate Shut, Homes Flooded

Up to a foot of rain flooded parts of central and southern Indiana on Tuesday, closing Interstate 70 and other roads and forcing residents to evacuate from several communities.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Storms also produced lightning believed to have touched off fires at a lumber company in Martinsville and at homes in Morgan and Bartholomew counties, authorities said.

Several motorists were stranded when Interstate 70 was closed Tuesday morning between the Brazil and Greencastle exits, said Alden Taylor, a spokesman for the State Emergency Management Agency. Water was two to three feet deep in some places.

Residents were evacuated from parts of Cloverdale and Martinsville.

“We’ve probably got over 12 inches of rain so far, just guessing,” said Cloverdale firefighter Steve Walters. “Most of the roads around Cloverdale are closed.”

Eight motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles, Walters said.

“It’s everywhere--high water, lines down, basements filling,” said Pat Knoy, a police dispatcher in Mooresville, about 20 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

The Indiana National Guard was put on standby, state officials said.

The Cloverdale flooding also knocked out pumps serving the community’s water system. Putnam County and state officials were working to have potable water transported to the town, said Joe Herman of the state emergency agency.

Parts of a mobile home court in Martinsville were evacuated because of high water and a gas leak, and pockets of homes northwest of Martinsville, in the Parke County town of Rosedale, and in the Quincy area of Owen County also were evacuated, authorities said.

The total number of people evacuated was not immediately known, Taylor said.

“Some of these (evacuations) are precautionary,” Taylor said. “People there have been through this before and know what to do. It’s a flash flood situation affecting small streams and low-lying areas.”

Evacuations also were reported in Clinton in Vermillion County, Brazil in Clay County and Bean Blossom in Brown County.