STATE OF INDIANA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
INDIANAPOLIS
FOR: DECLARING A DISASTER EMERGENCY IN BARTHOLOMEW, BROWN, CLAY, DAVIESS, DECATUR, GREENE, FRANKLIN, HENRY, JENNINGS, JACKSON, JOHNSON, MONROE, MORGAN, OWEN, RANDOLPH, RIPLEY, RUSH, SHELBY, SULLIVAN, UNION, VERMILLION, VIGO, AND WAYNE COUNTIES, DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS MAY COME, GREETINGS:
WHEREAS, beginning on June 6 and continuing through June 8, 2008, a severe weather system, with record amounts of rainfall, moved through central Indiana. The weather system added extremely heavy rains to ground, lakes, rivers and streams of Indiana that were already saturated at high levels, due to the severe storms impacting the same area over the past week. This resulted in flash flooding, closed roads, breached levees and dams which have overtopped and failed; and
WHEREAS, thousands of citizens were without power due to downed, damaged or destroyed power transmission lines caused by this storm system. Numerous water search and rescue operations occurred and are continuing. Large scale evacuations have taken place in Morgan, Johnson, Monroe and Bartholomew counties. There has been at least one fatality and another person is presently listed as missing; and
WHEREAS, numerous state and local roads throughout the affected counties remain impassable due to storm debris and/or high water. Shelters have been opened for displaced persons in Owen, Clinton, Vigo, Clay, Vermillion, Greene, Johnson, Morgan and Brown counties; and
WHEREAS, heavy rainfall and flash flooding resulted in many damaged homes, businesses and structures. There has also been significant damage to public property in these areas; and
WHEREAS, the state is deploying resources, conducting sandbagging operations and taking further preventative measures in several counties which are downstream from those counties in which the present Disaster Emergency exists, in order to curtail damage in those areas as the flood waters proceed south along Indiana's rivers, creeks and streams; and
WHEREAS, on June 7, 2008, I declared that a state of disaster emergency exists in Vermillion, Vigo, Clay, Owen, Greene, Morgan, Monroe, Johnson, Brown and Shelby counties. Based on additional reports of evacuations, water rescues and flooding damage, it is now necessary to add the counties of Bartholomew, Daviess, Decatur, Franklin, Henry, Jackson, Jennings, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Sullivan, Union and Wayne to the counties in which a state of disaster emergency currently exists.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Indiana, do hereby
DECLARE, that a state of disaster emergency now exists in Bartholomew, Brown, Clay, Daviess, Decatur, Greene, Franklin, Henry, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Shelby, Sullivan, Union, Vermillion, Vigo and Wayne counties. This declaration of disaster emergency shall be effective beginning on June 6, 2008 and shall continue for thirty (30) days unless, prior to July 6, 2008, I determine that emergency conditions no longer exist and I terminate the state of disaster emergency by a subsequent executive order or proclamation; and
ORDER, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, having already begun implementation of the State Emergency Plan, to enlist the support of such other state agencies as are needed and to provide needed emergency services; and
ORDER, the Executive Director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to coordinate all necessary assistance with appropriate federal, state and local agencies. Such assistance may include financial assistance from the State Disaster Relief Fund; however, any assistance from the State Disaster Relief Fund is to be limited exclusively to appropriate individual assistance grants to persons in the damaged areas of the aforementioned counties impacted by the heavy rains and subsequent flooding.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., have hereunto set my hand and cause to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Indiana on this 8th day of June, 2008.
Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.
Governor of Indiana
Posted: 06/25/2008 by Legislative Services Agency
DIN: 20080625-IR-GOV080439EOA
Composed: Apr 28,2024 8:18:16PM EDT
A
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