Jackson County officials prepare sandbags, evacuation plans if needed
Jackson County officials are making preparation as the community faces the most significant flooding since 2008.
According to flood predictions from the National Weather Service, rising water on East Fork White River has already passed the moderate flood stage and are expected to move into major flooding early Sunday morning. The river should crest at about 19.7 feet by Monday morning, but won’t drop below major flooding until Tuesday morning.
Floodwaters at that level would make this one of the five worst floods in county history and the worst since 2008. However the crest should be about a foot and a half below the record-setting 2008 level.
Toby Ortman, emergency management director for Jackson County, explains.
Ortman said that some of the hardest hit areas will include Cortland, Medora and northwestern Seymour. He said plans are being put in place to help evacuate those in danger in those areas, if needed.
Ortman pointed out that this will be the first major flood in the community since the removal last year of the low-head dam on East Fork White River just north of the Indiana American Water plant. The exact effects on the downstream river are not yet completely know.
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Jackson County community residents will be able to pick up filled sandbags from several sites, according to emergency officials. Ortman said that sandbags are available to the public in downtown Seymour at the parking lot used for the farmer’s market off of Tipton and Walnut streets. Emergency officials have also sent 15 skids of sandbags to the Medora area for residents to use. He said crews will continue to fill and make sandbags available as possible.
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Many roads in Jackson County are already closed due to high water. Officials say that the best place to get a complete overview of closed roads is through the county GIS system. You can find that link here: https://jacksonin.wthgis.com
Photo: Flooding on East Fork White River on Saturday afternoon, overlooking the site of the former dam just north of the Indiana American water plant. WRB photo