
Fishers first responders spent much of Thursday through Saturday pulling people out of floodwaters — both inside the city and in neighboring communities — Mayor Scott Fadness said in an update on the city’s flood response before the City Council Monday night.
While Saturday drew the most public attention, Fadness said the effort actually began early Thursday morning, when Fishers firefighters were dispatched to the Pendleton area and performed water rescues for most of the day.
That evening, after crews returned home, a resident called Fadness to report that water was running unusually high and fast through a Fishers neighborhood. Crews went out again and conducted a rescue operation that pulled five people from floodwaters.
At the same time, Fishers was sending resources to other communities, including Hamilton County partners and Tipton.
The night did not end there. Around 2 a.m., after the local rescue wrapped up and displaced residents were being sheltered, another call came in from the Lapel and Anderson area, where several people needed rescue. Fishers firefighters headed back out.
“A lot of those individuals literally went about 24 hours straight,” Fadness said.
By Friday, with residents sheltered, the city shifted to watching the White River ahead of the expected crest. Only a handful of Fishers homes sit directly adjacent to the river, Fadness said, and crews went door to door with those households to discuss evacuation. Some residents left; others chose to stay.
Saturday brought another round of rescues, this time involving the fire department, a police dive team and the Department of Public Works. The last person was pulled to safety around 2 or 3 p.m., Fadness said.
A small number of displaced residents remain in hotels, in part because shelters could not accommodate pets.
The city is now turning to recovery. Public works crews are taking the lead on distributing resources and information, including cleaning supplies for residents beginning to dig out. A staff member in the mayor’s office with FEMA experience is leading documentation of damage for potential reimbursement.
Damage to public infrastructure is not significant in Fishers. Fadness said Hazel Dell Parkway in Carmel is expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future, with the river having effectively rerouted itself in one location. Two city parks along the river sustained damage, though he said other facilities came through largely intact. Crews walked every affected road, and Fadness said no industrial or hazardous-materials problems were found.
Fadness described surreal scenes from a bridge over the river — a propane tank off-gassing in the current, 30-foot trees washing downstream and horses running loose on a nearby street. Rescuers also lost a boat motor during Saturday’s operations; a local marina supplied a replacement so crews could keep working.
The mayor said many of the people Fishers crews helped do not live within city limits.
“They’re not afraid to jump in regardless of who they are,” he said. “They’re neighbors nonetheless.”









