Local assistance includes shelter, food, sandbags and household support, while residents can contribute through a coordinated volunteer roster, a community relief fund and nonprofit organizations.
As Fishers and Hamilton County begin the long transition from emergency response to flood recovery, local government agencies, nonprofits and businesses are organizing assistance for affected residents — and safe ways for neighbors to help.
The White River reached approximately 24.6 feet at the Logan Street gauge early Saturday, Aug. 15. Although the river began falling after reaching that historic level, officials warned that flooded roads, unstable structures, contaminated water and other hazards could remain.
Residents should call 911 for an emergency. Fishers has also established a 24-hour assistance line at 317-595-3211 for nonemergency flood-related needs.
The city’s online flood-assistance form allows residents to request help with temporary housing, food, supplies, nonemergency medical support and other needs. The city said it is coordinating dumpsters for storm debris and plans to deliver pallets of drinking water to affected neighborhoods when conditions allow.
A Red Cross reception center is operating in Hall A at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville. The center is available to people who need a safe place to stay, food or water. Residents can also contact the Red Cross at 800-733-2767 for shelter information.
Free sandbags remain available on a first-come, first-served basis at 1717 Pleasant St., Noblesville. Hamilton County advises residents that they are responsible for loading, transporting, using and disposing of the bags.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness declared a local disaster emergency Saturday as historic flooding along the White River, Fall Creek and other waterways continues to impact neighborhoods across the city, and the city has opened a 24-hour hotline to help residents dealing with flood damage.
Residents with non-emergency flood issues can call the hotline at 317-595-3211 any time, day or night, or submit a request online at FishersIN.gov/Flooding. Anyone experiencing an emergency should call 911.
The declaration, issued under Indiana Code 10-14-3-29, activates all applicable local and interjurisdictional disaster emergency plans and authorizes the city to furnish aid and assistance to those affected. It remains in effect through Saturday, Aug. 22.
The mayor’s action follows days of unprecedented rainfall across central Indiana. More than 11 inches of rain fell east of Indianapolis beginning Tuesday, with the National Weather Service characterizing the downpour in at least one location as a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event. That water has been draining into the White River and Fall Creek, pushing both to historic levels.
The White River crested at 23.96 feet at the Noblesville gauge Friday, breaking the previous record of 23.8 feet set during the Great Flood of March 1913 — a mark that had stood for 113 years. Hamilton County declared its own emergency Friday, and county officials say more than 160 families have received voluntary evacuation assistance countywide.
In Fishers, police and fire crews evacuated residents along Wapahani Drive near the White River, and the Fall Creek Township trustee assisted residents evacuated from the Luxhaven area as Fall Creek reached its highest level in four decades. Road closures in the city as of Friday evening included Florida Road between Geist Ridge Drive and Bowline Road, Trails End Drive and Wapahani Drive. Fishers Parks has closed White River Park, the AgriPark, Geist Waterfront Park, Cumberland Park and Hamilton Proper Park.
City officials are asking residents not to drive around barricades or enter flooded areas to sightsee. Drivers ignoring closures are creating additional hazards, the city said, and pulling public safety resources away from residents who need immediate help. Never drive through floodwaters, and follow guidance from public safety officials as response and recovery efforts continue. The latest road closures are posted on the Drive Fishers account on X.
Even with the river past its crest, officials warn the danger has not passed. “The river may have crested, but this is not over,” said Chad Knecht, executive director of Hamilton County Emergency Operations. “It will take much longer for this water to go down than it did for it to come up.”
Flood updates will continue to be shared on the city’s website and its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Nextdoor. Because conditions differ from neighborhood to neighborhood, residents should confirm information through the hotline or official city channels. For the latest on flooding impacts and support, visit FishersIN.gov/Flooding.
Hamilton County residents forced from their homes by this week’s flooding now have a place to turn for help.
Hamilton County Emergency Operations, in partnership with the American Red Cross, opened an Emergency Evacuation Reception Center Saturday at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds in Noblesville. The center, located in Expo Hall A at the fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St., is open to anyone displaced by flooding.
Red Cross personnel and support staff are on site to assist residents and connect them with available resources, including emergency lodging, food and water.
“With floodwaters continuing to impact homes and neighborhoods across Hamilton County, we want residents to know there is a place to go if they need help,” said Chad Knecht, executive director of Hamilton County Emergency Operations. “If you have been displaced or need assistance because of the flooding, please come to the reception center so we can help connect you with the resources you need.”
The reception center opens as the county grapples with some of the worst flooding it has seen in years. County commissioners declared a state of emergency Friday after days of heavy rain closed more than 30 roads and pushed the White River toward a crest of nearly 20 feet, expected early Saturday morning. Communities in the northern part of the county, including Atlanta, Arcadia and Jackson Township, were hit especially hard — the Jackson Township Fire Department building took on floodwater, and a wastewater substation in Atlanta was knocked offline.
Officials also issued a Travel Watch for the county, meaning residents should limit driving to essential trips only. Major closures have included State Road 37 north of State Road 32 in Noblesville and State Road 19 between Logan Street and Field Drive.
Hamilton County remains under a state of emergency. Officials continue to urge residents to avoid flooded areas and to never drive around barricades or through flooded roadways. Even shallow moving water can sweep a vehicle off the road, and floodwater often hides washed-out pavement and debris.
The City of Fishers issued a statement that Citizens Water has said the water quality in Fishers is good and no boiling of water is needed. There are water pressure issues in parts of Fishers but Citizens tells the city that should be improving soon.
Residents who have been displaced or need flood-related assistance are encouraged to come to the reception center at the fairgrounds, where Red Cross staff can connect them with emergency lodging and other resources.
Here is the latest from the City of Fishers on water pressure and water quality:
At this time, there is no need to boil water or conserve water. Residents may continue normal water use.
Citizens Energy Group has reported that some customers may be experiencing water pressure issues and advises that it is expected to return to normal as conditions improve.
Fishers Parks and Recreation has closed seven park properties Saturday, Aug. 15, as flooding continues across Fishers and Hamilton County.
The closures expand a list that stood at five parks Friday. Heritage Park and Brooks School Park have been added, joining the five properties that were already shut down along the White River, Fall Creek and Geist corridors.
The parks closed Saturday are:
Heritage Park, 10595 Eller Road
Brooks School Park, 11780 Brooks School Road
Fishers AgriPark, 11171 Florida Road
Fishers White River Park, 5650 White River Park Drive
Geist Waterfront Park, 10811 Olio Road
Cumberland Park, 10580 Cumberland Road
Hamilton Proper Park, 10525 Hoosier Road
The closures come as the White River set a record. The river gauge at Noblesville hit 24.45 feet at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, topping the previous high of 23.80 feet set in 1913. The National Weather Service had forecast a crest near 24.60 feet. The river typically runs around 4 feet.
Hamilton County commissioners declared a state of emergency Friday, and Gov. Mike Braun issued a statewide disaster emergency declaration effective for 30 days. More than 50 roads across the county were closed at the peak of Friday’s high water.
In Fishers, public safety officials have reported closures on Florida Road between Geist Ridge Drive and Bowline Road, along with Trails End Drive and Wahpihani Drive. The multiuse trail along Florida Road south of the Fall Creek bridge is also closed. 113th Street has reopened between Atlantic Road and Southeastern Parkway.
Several of the closed parks sit directly in the flood plain. Fishers White River Park and the AgriPark border the White River, while Geist Waterfront Park, Cumberland Park and Hamilton Proper Park sit near Geist Reservoir and Fall Creek.
Fishers Parks canceled Park After Dark, the 21-and-over evening event at Geist Waterfront Park, on Friday. Residents should check the Fishers Parks website and social media before heading out this weekend, as conditions are changing quickly and additional closures are possible.
City officials repeated a warning that has been central to the county’s messaging all week.
“As a reminder, if you come across a road closure, barricade, or cones, please don’t go around them,” Fishers Parks said in the announcement. “They’re there for your safety and to keep roads clear for emergency personnel that need access.”
Ryan Tennessen, deputy director of Hamilton County Emergency Management, offered similar guidance Friday: “Please stay away from high water and never drive around barricades or through a flooded roadway.”
Officials note that floodwater depth is difficult to judge from a vehicle or on foot, and that pavement beneath standing water may be damaged or washed away entirely.
No timeline has been announced for reopening the parks. Crews will need to assess trail damage, debris and standing water once the river recedes.
Potter’s Bridge photo taken today by Hamilton County Parks
The White River shattered a record that had stood since the Great Flood of 1913, cresting overnight at 23.96 feet at the Noblesville gauge, county officials announced Saturday morning. The previous record of 23.8 feet was set March 25, 1913.
The river has begun to slowly recede, but Hamilton County remains under a State of Emergency declared by the Board of Commissioners, and officials warn the danger is far from over. A new round of thunderstorms Saturday morning prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Flash Flood Warning for Hamilton and Tipton counties until 12:30 p.m., with rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour possible. A Flood Warning for the White River remains in effect through Sunday afternoon.
“The river may have crested, but this is not over,” said Chad Knecht, Executive Director of Hamilton County Emergency Operations. “It will take much longer for this water to go down than it did for it to come up, and the additional rain today isn’t helping. If you can stay home and away from floodwaters, please do. Give our crews room to work and don’t put yourself or our first responders at unnecessary risk.”
Fishers evacuations and closures
In Fishers, police and fire crews worked Saturday morning to evacuate residents on Wapahani Drive, and 116th Street is closed near Eller Road. Officials asked residents to keep their distance from the river and never drive around barricades or cones.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools closed the Riverside Intermediate and Riverside Junior High campuses Saturday, including all indoor and outdoor facilities. The Fishers Farmers’ Market was canceled because of the weather.
A historic flood, by the numbers
The record crest at Noblesville followed days of extraordinary rainfall across central and eastern Indiana. More than 11 inches of rain has fallen east of Indianapolis since Tuesday, according to CBS News, and AccuWeather reported that New Castle recorded 11.23 inches in roughly 31 hours — with at least one location receiving what forecasters called a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall.
Upstream, the White River at Anderson crested at 24.93 feet early Friday, breaking that gauge’s 1913 record of 23.60 feet — water that then moved downstream toward Hamilton County. Gov. Mike Braun declared a state of emergency Thursday and activated the Indiana National Guard.
In Hamilton County, the Sheriff’s Office had assisted more than 160 families with voluntary evacuations by Friday, according to WISH-TV, with homes submerged in the Riverwood community north of Noblesville. More than 60 roads have been closed across the county, including State Road 37 north of State Road 32 and State Road 19 in Noblesville. Emergency crews continued responding to water rescues Saturday morning. No flood-related deaths have been reported in Indiana as of Saturday.
County officials continue to urge residents to store potable water through the weekend as a precaution. Free sandbags remain available to county residents on a first-come basis at the 4-H Fairgrounds, 1717 Pleasant St., Noblesville.
The flooding reaches downstream as well: Indianapolis officials ordered evacuations Friday night in Rocky Ripple, Ravenswood and portions of Broad Ripple as the river pushed toward levee heights not tested since 1937.
A 155-year-old survivor
Amid the emergency, county officials shared one piece of good news Saturday morning: Potter’s Covered Bridge, the 260-foot Howe truss span built over the White River in 1871 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, made it through the night. “Our bridge is a testament to a community that is facing hardship and unprecedented events,” the county’s parks department said. “Stay strong Hamilton County and all communities along our White River watershed.”
Fishers Police and Fire are working to evacuate on Wapahani Drive.
116th Street is closed near Eller Road. Please give our crews and those affected space to evacuate.
We know there’s a lot of curiosity about the high water in our community, but please give the river and surrounding areas some extra space right now.
If you come across a road closure, barricade, or cones, please don’t go around them. They’re there for your safety and to keep roads clear for those who need access.
Indiana voters will be asked this fall to change a guarantee that has been in the state constitution since 1851: the right to bail for anyone charged with a crime other than murder or treason.
Public Question 1 will appear at the top of the Nov. 3 ballot. It asks: “Shall the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to provide that a person charged with an offense other than murder or treason is not entitled to bail if: (1) the proof is evident or the presumption strong; and (2) the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety of any other person or the community.”
The measure began as Senate Joint Resolution 1, authored by Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford. Because Indiana requires constitutional amendments to pass two separately elected legislatures, the resolution cleared the General Assembly once in 2023 and again this year — 43-2 in the Senate in January and 75-11 in the House in February. A companion bill set the ballot wording.
The case for
Koch has framed the amendment as “a great step toward ensuring our communities are protected.” Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, argued during House debate that “liberty is the norm, but detention is permitted when the risk is extraordinary and demonstrative.”
Supporters emphasize that the burden stays on the state, and at a higher level than the probable-cause standard used for most pretrial decisions. Prosecutors would have to show by clear and convincing evidence that no combination of release conditions would keep the public safe.
The case against
Writing in the Indiana Lawyer, Nicole Salet, a J.D. candidate at the IU Maurer School of Law, argues the amendment amounts to preventive detention and “strips us of a fundamental constitutional right.”
Salet’s commentary offers a hypothetical: a 19-year-old arrested on a Friday for shoplifting a $100 item. Under Indiana Criminal Rule 26, he could post a nominal bond and be home that night. Under SJR 1, prosecutors could move to deny bail, starting a 48-hour clock that excludes weekends — and with a three-day state continuance, she calculates he could spend 10 nights in jail before any judge ever finds him dangerous.
She also faults the ballot language, citing readability indexes that score the question at a college-junior reading level, and objecting that the word “provide” makes a measure that removes a right sound like one that grants something.
Democratic lawmakers raised similar concerns. Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, said the bill would let judges jail people based not on what they have done but on who they are. Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, questioned the leeway judges would have in weighing dangerousness. Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, pressed on whether voters could understand the question they will be asked.
Portions of this story are drawn from a Viewpoint commentary by Nicole Salet published in the Indiana Lawyer.
Fishers motorists should prepare for several construction-related closures, detours and lane restrictions during the coming week.
The most significant local impact remains on 136th Street, which is closed to through traffic between Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road as the widening project enters Phase 2. Drivers should follow the posted detour using Southeastern Parkway and Prairie Baptist Road.
Traffic also remains restricted at 116th Street and Allisonville Road. The west leg of Fishers Crossing Boulevard is closed at Allisonville Road, and sidewalks within the project area are unavailable. Businesses remain open and can be reached through alternate entrances.
Lane restrictions will continue on USA Parkway north of 106th Street through October. Drivers may also encounter restrictions near the Southeastern Parkway and Olio Road roundabout and at 131st Street and Brooks School Road, where utility relocation is underway.
Cumberland Road restrictions include utility work between 106th and 116th streets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., along with bridge preservation work south of 116th Street. Meanwhile, the intersection of 96th Street and Cyntheanne Road has reopened in all directions, although crews may return for final work.
Regional travelers should expect major weekend delays on I-465 and I-69. Westbound I-465 is scheduled to be reduced to one lane between I-69 and the White River from Friday night through Sunday evening, with several connecting ramps also closing temporarily.
All schedules are weather-dependent. Drivers should follow posted signs, watch for workers and allow extra travel time.
Here is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:
Flooding closed three Fishers roads and several city parks as record-breaking water levels on the White River disrupted travel and canceled events across Hamilton County.
In a joint update issued at 7:35 p.m. Friday, Fishers public safety officials reported closures on Florida Road between Geist Ridge Drive and Bowline Road, Trails End Drive and Wahpihani Drive. Officials said 113th Street had reopened between Atlantic Road and Southeastern Parkway.
The multiuse trail along Florida Road south of the Fall Creek bridge was also closed earlier. No reopening announcement for the trail had been posted as of early Saturday.
Fishers Parks closed Fishers White River Park, Fishers AgriPark, Geist Waterfront Park, Cumberland Park and Hamilton Proper Park on Friday. Friday night’s Park After Dark event at Geist Waterfront Park was canceled. The department had not announced whether those parks would reopen Saturday.
At Mud Creek in Fishers, the National Weather Service recorded a level of 7.42 feet at 5:45 a.m. Saturday. Minor flood stage is 7 feet. At 7.5 feet, water begins affecting Cumberland Park’s road and parking area.
Despite the flooding, the Fishers Farmers Market remained listed for 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. No cancellation had been posted by Fishers Parks as of approximately 7:15 a.m. Visitors should check for a last-minute update before leaving.
Conditions were substantially worse in Noblesville, where the White River reached a record 24.45 feet at 5:45 a.m. Saturday. That was 0.65 feet above the previous record of 23.80 feet set in March 1913 and more than two feet above the 22-foot threshold for major flooding.
The latest federal forecast called for the river to reach approximately 24.60 feet. Residents can follow the National Weather Service gauge for updated observations.
Floodwater covered portions of downtown Noblesville, State Road 19 and nearby businesses. Voluntary evacuations began Friday in the Riverwood area north of the city. Noblesville Police urged residents to remain home unless travel was necessary after officers encountered motorists attempting to enter flooded areas.
Saturday’s Noblesville Main Street Farmers Market and the Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press concert at Federal Hill Commons were canceled.
Hamilton County’s flood-road log contained dozens of closures throughout Noblesville, Carmel, Strawtown, Cicero, Arcadia and Atlanta. Major affected routes included sections of State Roads 13, 19, 37 and 213, along with River Road, Allisonville Road, 116th Street, 122nd Street and numerous roads between 206th and 296th streets.
Some roads, including 113th Street in Fishers, had reopened. Motorists should consult the county’s live closure list and map immediately before traveling because conditions are changing.
Hamilton County Parks also closed Geist Park, Potter’s Bridge Park and its canoe launch, several other canoe access points, portions of Cool Creek Park and parking areas at Strawtown Koteewi Park. White River Campground will remain closed through Monday, with officials planning to reassess conditions Tuesday.
Fishers public safety officials said Hamilton County remained under a Flood Warning through 2 p.m. Sunday. A separate National Weather Service warning was in effect Saturday morning.
Officials cautioned residents never to drive, walk or bicycle through floodwater or around barricades. Water depth can be difficult to judge, and flooded pavement may be damaged or missing.
