Fishers Parks closed five properties Friday and canceled tonight’s Park After Dark event as Hamilton County commissioners declared a state of emergency and the White River pushed toward its highest level in years.
The city’s streets have held up better than most of central Indiana this week, but there are closures. Its parks — many of them sitting on the water — have not.
Fishers parks closed Friday
Fishers Parks announced the closures Friday morning, citing the travel advisory, flooding and road closures across the city and county. Closed for the day:
- Fishers White River Park, 5650 White River Park Drive
- Fishers AgriPark, 11171 Florida Road
- Geist Waterfront Park, 10811 Olio Road
- Cumberland Park, 10580 Cumberland Road
- Hamilton Proper Park, 10525 Hoosier Road
Tonight’s Park After Dark, the 21-and-over evening event at Geist Waterfront Park, has been canceled.
Separately, Hamilton County Parks has closed Potter’s Bridge Park, Cool Creek Park and Geist Park — a separate county property, also on Olio Road.
Other Fishers events remain on the calendar as of Friday morning, including this evening’s Second Friday Gallery Hop at City Hall and Saturday’s Fishers Farmers Market at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. Check before you go — this is moving fast.
The county emergency
Hamilton County issued an orange Travel Watch at 5:15 a.m. Friday, the middle tier of Indiana’s three-level travel advisory system. It asks residents to limit driving to essential trips only: work, medical needs and emergencies. More than 50 roads were closed countywide Friday morning, up from roughly 30 a day earlier.
“Please stay away from high water and never drive around barricades or through a flooded roadway,” said Ryan Tennessen, deputy director of Hamilton County Emergency Management.
The county’s Emergency Operations Center is activated, and the sheriff’s office has already performed several water rescues.
On the roads in Fishers
City road flooding has stayed limited. During Wednesday’s storms, the only Fishers closure was a stretch of 106th Street that floods because of a nearby creek. However, that changed later.
The National Weather Service measured 1.58 to 2.05 inches in the Fishers area during the Aug. 11-13 event, against 4.12 inches near Noblesville and about 3.50 inches around Carmel. County figures put Fishers closer to 3.21 inches from early Tuesday through Thursday.
The river
The White River gauge at Logan Street in Noblesville read 18.85 feet at 6:30 a.m. Friday. The National Weather Service expects a crest near 20 feet around 2 a.m. Saturday. The river normally runs about 4 feet there. It hit 10 feet Wednesday and 13.5 feet Thursday afternoon.
A Flood Warning remains in effect until 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16.
North of us
Noblesville and northern Hamilton County have absorbed the brunt. Low-lying neighborhoods including Riverwood, Clare, Strawtown, Riverbend and Trails End have been told to be ready to evacuate on short notice. Noblesville Schools closed Friday.
State Road 37 north of State Road 32 is closed, as is State Road 19 between Logan Street and Field Drive. Sections of state roads 13 and 213 are shut, along with U.S. 31 near Tipton.
Farther north the strain is worse. The Jackson Township Fire Department building has flooded and a wastewater facility along S.R. 19 in Atlanta is offline. Arcadia, Atlanta, Jackson Township and White River Township all report significant impacts.
Hamilton County Parks evacuated White River Campground in Cicero on Wednesday, clearing about 100 campsites and closing the gates by 5 p.m. It stays closed through Monday, Aug. 17, with refund information going to affected guests.
“The levels will peak Friday even though it might be sunny out,” said Chris Stice, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation director. “Conditions for White River is unsafe.”
Resources
Free sandbags are available first-come at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1717 Pleasant St. in Noblesville. Residents handle their own loading, hauling and disposal.
Gov. Mike Braun declared a statewide disaster emergency Thursday, effective 30 days, mobilizing state agencies after severe storms and flooding swept Indiana.
The county keeps a live list of flood-related road closures at hamiltoncounty.in.gov.
If you find water over a roadway, turn around. It takes very little depth to float a vehicle, and the pavement underneath may already be gone.