Updated on: August 13, 2026 / 9:35 PM EDT
/ CBS News
Flooding submerged Indiana neighborhoods in water for the second day in a row, as parts of the state saw Wednesday the highest daily rainfall totals ever recorded in their areas.
Some braced for more severe weather still ahead, as meteorologists warned Thursday that Indianapolis faced the greatest threats of storms slated to bring heavy rain to the Midwest throughout the rest of the week.
Upwards of 36 million people were under flood alerts Thursday across the region, according to the National Weather Service. Its forecast offices in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee warned that rainfall across each state could be persistent and widespread, potentially drenching parts of each state with another 4 inches or more.
The expected round of rainfall could bring strong winds, large hail, and additional flash flooding to communities recovering from extreme weather that has already wreaked havoc in recent days.
Since Monday, 277 flash flooding incidents have been reported across the Ohio Valley, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan, as deadly storms and tornadoes slammed the region. Since Tuesday, leaders in the region have declared seven different flash flood emergencies. On Thursday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun declared a disaster emergency as 250,000 people in his state and Illinois woke to power outages caused by the storms.
"Our state response is fully mobilized, resources are moving where they're needed, and we will continue working around the clock to support every impacted community," Braun said in a statement.
At least three deaths have been confirmed in connection with the severe weather, including two in Ohio and one in Indiana, officials said. All three happened on Tuesday.
In Anderson, Indiana, located northeast of Indianapolis, the White River burst its banks, forcing 70-year-old Charlie Simmons to wade through chest-deep water. He had finished renovating his home two months ago. But it was completely flooded this week.
"Financial-wise, I'm cooked," Simmons told CBS News Thursday. "Start again, 70 years old, start over, what are you going to do."
Tony Smith of Anderson also lost his house and his business.
"We are totally devastated," Smith said. "We've had five feet plus of water in all of our homes here."
The East Madison Fire Territory, a fire agency in Madison County, Indiana, which includes Anderson, wrote on social media that it had responded to "historic levels of flooding and so many calls to help people out of harm's way."
The department said that more rain was possible Thursday night, warning residents who "live near rising water" to "make a plan and be ready to evacuate while you can still get out of your neighborhood."
Many people had to be rescued by boat in Cambridge City, Indiana, after catastrophic floods on Wednesday left them stranded. Water filled city streets, rising several feet in the hardest-hit places and seeping into, at best, the ground floors of local homes. Some residents faced harsher conditions, with the deluge completely covering the roofs of their cars or crashing into their homes through doors and windows.
