Flood danger lowered in Columbus this morning

Flood warnings remain in effect for the Columbus area, but emergency officials are scaling back the amount of flooding you could see out there this morning.

While major flooding was forecast last night, East Fork White River at Columbus is now expected to crest just above the moderate flood level by early Thursday morning. The crest should continue with moderate flooding in Seymour along East Fork White River by Thursday evening.

Last night’s forecast showed possible flooding as far from the river as  Lafayette Avenue and Jonathan Moore Pike. But now the flooding is expected to be concentrated closer to the river, such as Lawton Avenue, which is just east of Noblitt Park.

Shannan Hinton, director of emergency management for Bartholomew County explains.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers says that the flood prediction tools we have now, allow for better forecasts than we had during the flood of 2008.

Officers and deputies were going door to door last night, warning people of the possibility of severe flooding this morning and encouraging voluntary evacuations from the affected areas.

Hinton said that emergency officials were looking at between a 10- and 100-year flood event last night and decided to warn residents who lived within the danger zone of a 100-year flood. An Everbridge System alert went out about 10:30 p.m. last night, warning of potential flooding from Lafayette Avenue to Jonathan Moore Pike. That led  some residents of the Lagoons, near the river, to begin installing sandbags to protect their property.

While last night’s warnings of a 100-year-flood level are now off the table, the sheriff says there are still many flooded roads in the county.

The most recent road to close due to high water is State Road 11 at Garden City.

The high water has also closed Noblitt Park and Mill Race Park as well as part of the city’s People Trail system. City officials say that these areas will be reopened after the water has receded and cleanup is completed.

Bartholomew Consoolidated Schools have closed for the day due to the high water and expected flooding. It will be an e-learning day for

You can get the updated list of  school closings on our website.