Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said the city’s four-day emergency response to historic flooding wrapped up Saturday afternoon with the last person pulled from the White River, and that attention now turns to a recovery effort that will begin in earnest Monday.

In an interview Sunday, Fadness said no one was injured across dozens of water rescues carried out by Fishers crews — work that stretched well beyond the city limits into Madison and Tipton counties.

“Everyone is safe. No one was injured,” he said.

Four days of rescues

The response began Thursday morning in Pendleton, where Fishers public safety teams assisted with water rescues after what Fadness called “torrential rain.”

“We were there all day Thursday,” he said.

Thursday night, crews shifted to a flash flood situation along the Fall Creek corridor in the Luxhaven area, where officers rescued about seven people and then went door to door checking on affected homes.

Around 2 a.m., Fishers teams were called back to Anderson for a levee break, and to Pendleton for more water rescues. At the same time, the Fishers Department of Public Works was delivering supplies to Pendleton and the city of Tipton.

Rescues resumed in the Pendleton area Friday morning. By Friday night, crews were making contact with residents along the White River corridor in Fishers.

“At that time some people voluntarily evacuated; others stayed in their homes,” Fadness said.

As the water rose Saturday morning, the city moved to search and rescue operations along the river. Those concluded late Saturday afternoon, with the final resident rescued from the White River around 3 p.m.

“Our team is now rehabbing,” Fadness said. “Everyone is safe.”

Infrastructure largely intact

Fadness said early indications on public infrastructure are encouraging.

“I don’t think there are any roads that are significantly impacted,” he said. “All of our critical functions — wastewater treatment plants, public safety — they’re all fully functional.”

He also knocked down concerns about the water system. Some residents reported water pressure problems Saturday, which the mayor described as an isolated incident that has since been resolved.

“The water pressure has been restored,” he said. “We’ve had no complaints from Citizens (water utility) of any concern about the quality of the water.”

There is no boil water advisory in effect, he said, and water pressure and supply are adequate for operational needs.

Parks damaged, homes likely worse

City parks along the river did not fare as well. Fadness said White River Park remains under water and has not yet been assessed, and he expects damage at Heritage Park as well.

The Riverside schools campus, near the flooded area, was not damaged, he said.

The bigger unknown is housing. Crews cannot fully evaluate homes until the water recedes.

“I would imagine most of the homes that were in that flood area have catastrophic damage at this point,” Fadness said.

Recovery operations spinning up

Even as rescue crews stood down, a second team led by the Department of Public Works and the deputy mayor began organizing recovery operations, the mayor said. Details were expected to be released later Sunday, with the work ramping up Monday.

Residents with flood-related needs can call the city’s 24-hour non-emergency flood hotline at 317-595-3211 or submit information at FishersIN.gov/Flooding. Fadness declared a local disaster emergency Friday that runs through Aug. 22.

The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St. in Noblesville.

The White River crested Friday at 23.96 feet at the Noblesville gauge, breaking the 23.8-foot record set in the Great Flood of 1913.

Watch the full interview with Mayor Fadness in the video above.