Parts of the Midwest, particularly the State of Indiana, experienced a 1 in a 1,000-year storm event this past August. The catastrophic flooding occurred a day after a derecho ripped through the Midwest. A derecho is a widespread, long-lived windstorm associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. Sometimes referred to as “inland hurricanes,” derechos produce destructive, straight-line winds approaching 60 mph along a path at least 240 miles long. They are distinct from tornados as derecho winds do not rotate.

At least three rivers hit major flood stage. The White River in Anderson, IN had a record crest of over 24 feet, its highest in over 100 years. The storm brought several feet of water to residential and commercial areas in the northern parts of the city. Portions of seven counties in the eastern part of the state saw 6-12 inches of rain, equating to several months’ worth of precipitation. More than 250,000 homes and businesses lost power in the state.

Across the greater Midwest and Ohio Valley nearly 400,000 customers lost power. In Ohio, 375 people were forced to flee their homes to escape the rising water. It was reported that many may never be able to return to their homes given the severity of destruction in the area.

In the city of Muncie, IN, residents were also forced to evacuate as flood waters swiftly rose. The City’s fire chief noted that in his 29 years of service he had never seen flooding this bad. Infrastructure failures occurred as well including one wastewater facility that was left inoperable. In 1913, the city constructed a levee system to protect against future floods. Four billion gallons of water– eight times what the system was designed to protect against – fell in 24 hours.

New Castle, IN received more than 11 inches of rain in 32 hours, calculated as having a 0.1% chance of occurring in a given year. Rescue crews evacuated 120 people from an apartment complex using boats and Humvees. The City of Connersville, IN, was essentially divided in two by floodwaters. Drivers were forced to take a 10-mile detour to reach the other side of town.

Tragically, several deaths were reported. A 4-year-old boy died after a tree fell on his house. One person was found dead from an apparent explosion and house fire after the derecho moved through the area. It is believed the storm knocked down trees and exposed a natural gas line. Several others are still reported missing with recovery operations continuing.