Gov. Braun Assesses Flood Damage, Details Recovery Efforts

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Governor Mike Braun toured Carmel and Noblesville to evaluate severe flooding damage alongside Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam and Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen.

Heavy rainfall recently pushed the White River to historic levels, forcing families out of their homes and damaging infrastructure across central Indiana.

“Communities across Indiana have been through an incredibly difficult nine days, including Noblesville and Carmel where flooding has forced families out of their homes and caused significant damage to infrastructure,” Braun said. “Mayor Jensen, Mayor Finkam, our first responders and local officials have done tremendous work taking care of their communities. My commitment to them and every impacted Hoosier is that the state will continue working alongside them in the weeks and months ahead, deploying the resources they need to recover and rebuild.”

Beyond the high waters, power outages peaked above 300,000 statewide, but roughly 65,000 customers are still without power. Braun called on utility management to pick up the pace to restore power while deploying state agencies, including the Indiana National Guard and State Police, to assist crews and secure work zones.

“It’s unacceptable that so many Hoosiers are still without power. Our state agencies, including the Indiana National Guard, Indiana Department of Transportation, Department of Correction, Indiana State Police, and the Department of Natural Resources, are all taking unprecedented action to help NIPSCO turn the lights back on,” Braun added. “I deeply appreciate the linemen and crews who are putting in the legwork and long hours to address these outages. It’s on NIPSCO management to step up, take this seriously and restore power now.”

“There’s no excuse. We are providing protection and we are clearing the path. Every state agency that can assist with power restoration efforts is on hand and working alongside utility crews to expedite the process,” said Gov. Braun. “It remains priority number one for Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties.”

To support impacted residents, the state secured a SNAP benefit replacement extension through Aug. 31 for Lake and Porter counties. The governor also directed the Department of Insurance to issue a 60-day moratorium on policy cancellations to protect families trying to recover.

“Hoosiers who have just lost their homes, vehicles or belongings shouldn’t have the added worry of unexpectedly losing their insurance coverage while they’re trying to get back on their feet,” said Gov. Braun. “I’m calling on insurance companies to give storm-impacted Hoosiers the flexibility they need to focus on their families and their recovery.”

Utility workers remain deployed across Indiana clearing debris, while over 20 disaster declarations remain active as officials assess storm damage.