Flooding conditions in Kosciusko County continued to worsen today, with more rain in the forecast.
The region already has received more than 5 inches of rain and another possible inch is expected through Saturday, according to Ed Rock, Kosciusko County’s emergency management director.
“That’s just going to create more and more issues,” Rock said this morning.
On Thursday, officials believed the Tippecanoe River would crest Saturday afternoon.
That is now in doubt, Rock said.
“Consequently, it’s not going to crest until the Monday, Tuesday time frame,” he said.
Dozens of streets across the county remain closed due to flooding.
The city of Warsaw has distributed more than 7,000 sandbags, many of which were used along Sunset Drive and Biscayne Avenue, according to Mayor Joe Thallemer.
As of this morning, the northernmost part of Sunset Drive was under water and several homes with sandbags around the foundations appear to be surrounded by water.
The city had moved 137 pallets of sandbags and had requests for 27 more pallets this morning, Thallemer said.
At the Webster Lake dam in North Webster, the water level was 17 inches above normal and just 5 inches short of the 100-year flood level, Rock said.
The dam is wide open, and officials don’t want to close it for fear of the impact on the structure.
“They don’t want to put extra pressure on the dam, and I understand that and tend to agree with that. If you put extra pressure on the dam, you lose the whole dam and then all that water comes down.”
“Unfortunately, that creates some flooding in the Barbee and Tippecanoe chain. Obviously, that’s not good,” he said. “Things are not going to go well when you get 5 inches of rain.”
He said he was unsure of the extent of flooding in the Barbee chain and Tippecanoe Lake.
Thallemer applauded the efforts of volunteers after the city sought help Thursday afternoon with a callout on social media.
He said the need for volunteers will likely continue through Saturday, and more will be needed afterward to remove all of the city sandbags.
Thallemer said flooding levels along the three lakes that abut the city continue to fluctuate.
He said he was told the water level at Center Lake appeared to be up a little overnight, while Pike Lake appeared to be dropping a little and water on Winona Lake appeared to be rising.
He said he believed the city has been as proactive as possible, given the conditions.
City employees from various departments have volunteered, and were supported Thursday night by the World Compassion Network, Fellowship Missions and several churches, Thallemer said.
“We’ve had a great volunteer response,” Thallemer said.
Country Club Road on the city’s south side – near Winona Lake – has also sustained flooding, Thallemer said.
The corner of Arthur and Poppy streets near Pike Lake beach was another area under water.
Thallemer said he expects the need for volunteers to help fill and place sandbags will continue. Anyone wanting to help should call the city street department at 574-372-9561.
The county highway department has made sand and bags available, but residents will need to bring shovels. The highway garage is at 2936 E. Old 30.
Areas to the north and west of Kosciusko County remain under a flood warning from the National Weather Service and have seen more severe flooding.
The National Weather Service predicts a strong chance of rain Saturday and Saturday night, but dry conditions are expected for the following three days.
