Flood recovery begins across South Bend region

Feb. 23--SOUTH BEND -- Like many who live along the St. Joseph River, David Loughlin will soon remove flood-damaged furniture and appliances from his basement.

Loughlin lives on Riverside Drive in the Keller Park neighborhood, which is among a handful of flooded residential areas along the river in South Bend that are recovering from the river's historic rise.

Other hard-hit neighborhoods were the North Shore Triangle and a section along Northside Boulevard near Indiana University South Bend.

Loughlin, who was out of town earlier this week, returned Wednesday night to find his home surrounded by water and his 1961 Studebaker flooded.

"I bought this house in 1972 and have never seen anything like this," said Loughlin, who doesn't have flood insurance.

If there is a silver lining for these hard-hit neighborhoods, it is that the worst part of the flooding caused by this week's historic rainfall is over.

In South Bend, the river crested at nearly 13 feet early Thursday and the level has slowly receded since. Rain is in the forecast for this weekend, but it isn't expected to add to the river level. And though the river isn't expected to be out of its "flood stage" until March, efforts are underway to help flood victims recover.

Roughly 25 homes, mainly near the river, were completely destroyed by flooding, and dozens of others were damaged in the county, said John Antonucci, St. Joseph County Emergency Management Agency director. He added that flooding took a serious toll on roads and bridges near the river and across the county's southern half. Bridge repairs could be especially costly.

"I think we're going to have to look at a lot of bridges very closely due to the crest of the river," he said, adding that he suspects total damages in the county will exceed the $4.5 million toll caused by record rainfall in August 2016.

Officials from St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties, meanwhile, are scrambling to assess the flood's damage so they can apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to repair roads, bridges, parks and other flood-damaged infrastructure.

At a press conference on Thursday, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he has reached out to U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski and Senator Joe Donnelly to support the cause for federal funding. He also urged residents across the county to report any flood damage -- even if it is minor -- by calling county Emergency Management Agency at (574) 225-9378.

"To qualify for any kind of federal disaster aid, we need an accurate account of any damage to property," Buttigieg said.

St. Joseph County and South Bend jointly declared a "state of emergency" on Wednesday to begin the process of applying for federal aid, and Elkhart County also did so by teaming up with the cities of Elkhart and Goshen. Marshall County, meanwhile, plans to soon make a joint declaration that could include the city of Plymouth and town of Bremen.

The counties plan to join other flood-ravaged political subdivisions across the state to apply for federal infrastructure funding, Antonucci said. Damage reported by counties across the state must exceed a threshold of $10.2 million to apply for that funding, he said, and the damage is expected to hit that mark.

Ultimately, he said, it will be up to the administration of President Donald Trump to decide whether to sign off on the funding. That's why officials are rallying support from Indiana's congressional delegates.

"We're courting every political person we can," Antonucci said. "The more people we have speaking to the president, the better chance we have."

St. Joseph County will also apply for various funding to help flood victims with damaged or destroyed homes. If it succeeds, low-interest federal loans would be available to homeowners, along with grants from the state's disaster relief fund.

Dozens of flood-damaged homes, meanwhile, are also scattered across Elkhart and Marshall counties.

Clyde Avery, director of the Marshall County Emergency Management Agency, said officials will assess the damage soon.

"We're hoping to put a team together and start doing that tomorrow," he said. "We have 20 to 30 damaged homes just in the city alone and dozens countywide."

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