Five Luxhaven residents were evacuated Thursday night as Fall Creek pushed into the low-lying Fishers neighborhood, and Fall Creek Township is housing them through the weekend, Township Trustee Doug Allman said in a social media post Friday.

Allman said he went to Luxhaven Thursday night to see the flooding himself after hearing from residents there.

“This is the worst I have seen in my 40 years of living in Fall Creek,” Allman wrote. He said the flooding appears worse than the 2013 event, when an ice jam sent water into the neighborhood and caused significant damage.

No one has been hurt.

“I feel their heartache of potential property loss, but so far no loss of life or injury,” Allman wrote.

Who responded

Allman said the evacuations came together through calls with Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, Hamilton County Emergency Management, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Fishers Fire and Emergency Services.

Fadness and the fire chief went to Luxhaven themselves and spoke with residents, according to Allman’s account.

The township is covering lodging for the evacuated residents through the weekend. Allman said his office will keep monitoring conditions and continue working with the City of Fishers and Hamilton County.

A neighborhood that knows high water

Luxhaven sits along Fall Creek in southeastern Fishers, one of the older and lower-lying pockets of the township. Allman, who has been trustee since January 2017, said the neighborhood is no stranger to rising water.

“Many of these residents have lived here for years and adjust to high water every so often,” he wrote. “But this is the worst I have seen.”

He added that he knows many of the families personally.

How to help — later

Allman asked residents wanting to pitch in to wait.

“I believe the opportunity for the public to help will come after the water goes down and the clean up and fix up start,” he wrote, closing the post with “Stay tuned.”

The wider picture

The Luxhaven evacuations came hours before Hamilton County commissioners declared a state of emergency Friday morning and the county issued an orange Travel Watch at 5:15 a.m., asking residents to limit driving to essential trips. More than 50 roads were closed countywide Friday morning.

Fishers Parks closed five properties Friday — Fishers White River Park, Fishers AgriPark, Geist Waterfront Park, Cumberland Park and Hamilton Proper Park — and canceled Friday night’s Park After Dark event at Geist Waterfront Park.

Most of the county’s worst flooding has been to the north, where the White River at Noblesville is forecast to crest near 20 feet early Saturday. But Luxhaven is a reminder that Fall Creek, not just the White River, runs through this community.

Township assistance

Fall Creek Township offers assistance with shelter and basic needs including utilities, medicine and food, and maintains 24-hour emergency assistance for residents who lose shelter. The trustee’s office is at 11595 Brooks School Road and can be reached at (317) 841-3180. An on-site food pantry operates Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Residents in flood-prone areas along Fall Creek should be prepared to leave on short notice, and should never drive through water covering a roadway.