More than two months after a derecho and flash floods struck Indiana in the United States, federal recovery aid is flowing to affected households, and the window to apply is about to close. The Indiana derecho and floods hit hardest in Northwest Indiana, including Gary and Lake and Porter counties, and in east-central Indiana, including Delaware, Henry, Madison and Marion counties.
What happened
On August 11, a derecho swept across the state, bringing extreme straight-line winds, at least two tornadoes and large hail. Six to nine inches of rain followed, and flash flooding began on August 12 as several rivers rose to major flood stage. About 300,000 customers lost power at the peak, most of them in Lake and Porter counties, in NIPSCO's largest outage on record. As of August 28, seven deaths had been attributed to the disaster, in Delaware, Jennings, Lake, LaPorte, Henry and Porter counties.
Federal assistance
An emergency declaration, EM-3651, covering 53 counties was issued on August 15. Gov. Mike Braun requested a major disaster declaration on August 20, and FEMA approved it on August 25; 24 counties are now eligible for individual assistance. As of October 20, more than 35,490 applications had been approved and $151 million in FEMA individual assistance had been paid out or allocated, while National Flood Insurance Program policyholders had received $23.1 million. The deadline to apply for FEMA individual assistance is October 25.
Local relief
The American Red Cross Indiana Region opened shelters, including at the YWCA in Gary, and offers financial assistance to households with qualifying damage. The Salvation Army provided meals and supplies in Lake County. More groups are listed on Disaster Relief Organizations.
To help Indiana families recover, visit the Indiana derecho and floods disaster page and donate to the organizations responding.
