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  • Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Just in case: J.D. Kesler, deputy director and public information officer for the Vigo County Emergency Management Agency, pulls 100 sandbags from a bundle late Thursday afternoon. The bags were for the Indiana Department of Transportation.

    MET083012issac keslerbags .jpg

  • Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Forecasts: J.D. Kesler, deputy director and public information officer for the Vigo County Emergency Management Agency, talks about possible tracks for the remains of Hurricane Isaac and their impact on the Wabash Valley. His agency is in a pre-staging mode, preparing for what may come over the weekend.

    MET083012issac keslermap.jpg

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August 31, 2012

Wabash Valley prepares for deluge from remnants of Hurricane Isaac

Lisa Trigg The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Predictions are changing by the hour on how much rain the weakening Hurricane Isaac will dump on Indiana.

 But one thing is certain — this Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be full of thunderstorms, rain and possibly some rough weather.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security is asking everyone to prepare for storms and localized flooding. The Vigo County Emergency Management Agency is recommending that each household have enough food, water, medicine and other survival needs to last 72 hours in case of power outages.

“Our big concern is trees coming down, damaging homes and power lines,” said J.D. Kesler, assistant Vigo EMA director.

On Thursday, EMA staff already had loaded two bales of sandbags into a truck to be ready in case an emergency delivery was requested. The empty bags can be filled by homeowners if used to protect private property, or can be delivered and placed by county highway crews if in a community area. Additional sandbags are in storage near the EMA offices at Hulman Field.

Kesler said local officials are prepared to keep watch on areas that historically get early flooding — such as Pennington Road between Indiana 63 and Indiana 150, and the First Street extension south of Springhill Road near Honey Creek.

“Those areas are normally prone to early flooding,” Kesler said, adding that the big concern will be motorists who drive around road-closed barricades and then become trapped in high water.

The forecasted rainfall as of Friday evening for the Terre Haute area was 5.5 inches during two days, he said.

The National Weather Service also has forecast that Indiana may receive 2 to 8 inches of rain by Tuesday, with areas in Central Indiana and communities along the I-70 corridor — such as Terre Haute and Indianapolis  — expected to receive the heaviest amounts of rainfall.

Rainfall is expected to be steady from Saturday through Monday, according to the NWS. Locations that may be particularly prone to flooding include areas around the Wabash, Eel and lower White rivers, and the east fork of the White River around Jackson County.

While many Hoosiers remember flooding in September 2008 as a result of Hurricane Ike, Kesler said conditions that contributed to the flooding locally are much different than they were four years ago.

“We do not see any possibility of that,” Kesler said of a repeat flood. “The precursors in 2008 were a wet, wet spring and saturation of the ground, and we got 12 inches of rain in 12 hours.”

Some thunderstorms are expected to accompany Isaac, with heavy winds and scattered tornadoes possible.

Kesler said he has been monitoring the progress of Isaac as it moved north through Mississippi on Thursday and headed into the Tennessee area.

“When it gets to Paducah [Kentucky] and we see how things fall out there, we will see how it’s going to play out,” he said.

As of Thursday, Isaac had unloaded more than 10 inches of rain in a significant part of southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi, according to AccuWeather.com. Cities in the path of Isaac as a rainstorm include St. Louis, Louisville, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

Soon after heat builds over the region, a rainstorm from the diminishing tropical system Isaac will take an arced path into the Ohio Valley, bringing a potential for up to 4 inches of rain, AccuWeather.com reports.

In the core of the storm, however, local amounts of 6 to 8 inches are possible in the Ohio Valley.

Kesler said that residents may want to prepare for the storm by making sure their gutters and downspouts are free of debris, so that water is carried away from their homes.

The public can also prepare for flooding by:

• Keeping up to date on local weather conditions by monitoring media report, or visiting www.weather.gov.

• Reviewing a tornado plan to know where to go in heavy winds. Basements are a primary choice, followed by rooms with no exterior walls and no windows.

• Checking emergency supply kits and having enough food, water, medication and other essentials to last 72 hours.

• Remember food safety in case of power outages that can cause food to spoil.

• Have a communication plan to stay in contact with family members and friends.

• Avoid walking or driving through flooded areas.

• Follow the directions of public safety officials.

For more information about preparing for severe weather, go online to www.in.gov/dhs/

getprepared.htm.



Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.

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