The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/232947
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, December 25, 2013 A-5 Heavy rains cause rescues, cancellations and headaches By Andy Heuring Heavy rains dropping between five and eight inches of rain on Pike County, and much of southern Indiana, Friday and Saturday caused flash floods and water over highways and county roads. Three people had to be rescued from high water Saturday evening. One clinging to a tree on the bank of Flat Creek for three hours (see related story this section), another from the top of his Jeep along Highway 56, and a third on Highway 64 just inside Gibson County. The rains also cancelled Winslow's Christmas parade again and flooding of almost eight feet above floodstage is predicted for the White River. "It was crazy," said Pike County Deputy Sheriff Chad Tharp. He ran from incident to incident Saturday evening as the rain just kept falling and the water levels kept rising. Nearly every road in the county had either flood or head waters standing or flowing over them. Tharp started the afternoon near Stendal where a stolen vehicle from Spencer County had been located. He said it had been stolen earlier in the week. He said it was on a dirt lane that extends to Washington St. "It was so muddy I almost got hung up in the first 50 feet in a 4-wheel drive," said Tharp. "There was no way, as soft as it was, we were going to be able to get to it," said Tharp. He said they notified Spencer County and left it there. Tharp was west of Petersburg checking flooding on Highway 56 later that evening when he got a call about a motorist being stranded in the water on Highway 64 near the Pike-Gibson county line. Tharp said while he was on his way, he got a call about a person being in the water near CR 50 S. and 900 E. He said the Highway 64 incident turned out to be in Gibson County. Reports said the water over Highway 64 was at least 12 inches deep in places. Tharp said he heard the motorist had to be taken from the hood of his vehicle, which was almost entirely submerged. Tharp went to CR 900 E. area where rescue personnel were trying to get to Michael Christmas. While there, they were called to a motorist who drove into water running over Highway 56 near (Rabbit Leg) and was swept off the road. Tharp said that motorist, who was driving a Jeep, hit the water and it just pulled them into the ditch. The driver got on the hood of the Jeep, but because it was close to the road, he was easily rescued. According to the National Weather Service, between one and two inches of rain fell on Friday and then another four to six inches of rain on Saturday. This, on top of several inches of melting snow, caused area rivers to jump out of their banks. Saturday morning, the White River at Petersburg was at 8.2 feet by Sunday morning and it jumped more than 11 feet to 19.4 feet. Monday morning, it was at 21.1 feet, with an early predicted crest of 23.5 on Tuesday and then another crest of 23.7 feet on Saturday. The Indiana Department of Transportation announced Highway 64 between Arthur and Oakland A truck makes its way slowly through water over Highway 56 just west of Petersburg on Saturday evening. Almost eight inches of water in two days caused water to flow over roads throughout southern Indiana. City had been reopened after being closed on Saturday night. But Highway 257 at the Pike-Daviess County line was closed and would probably remain closed through the rest of the week. It typically is closed when the White River at Petersburg gets to between 21 and 22 feet. However, the gauge at Petersburg is the chan- nel of the river after the East and West forks of the White River come together. It is the East Fork of the White River only at Highway 257, so those readings can vary. State, local law enforcement ramp up holiday patrols By Ed Cahill If you plan on celebrating the Christmas and New Year's holidays by consuming alcohol, you better not plan on getting behind the wheel of a vehicle afterward. That's the advice of Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle, who says the agency will have additional troopers out through the holidays. "Those two holidays, we know for a fact that a lot of people will be traveling, and some of those people will be traveling great distances," Ringle said. "So, because of the expected increase in traffic, we'll have troopers out on the interstates and the major highways, looking for dangerous and impaired drivers. "Anytime there's a holiday, the chances of individuals going out and drinking increases, especially with the New Year's holiday," Ringle added. "Christmas normally is not that bad. But we normally see a few more drunk driving arrests the New Year's holiday period, for obvious reasons." Ringle said that the biggest concern during the Christmas holiday is the increased amount of traffic. "We always try to encourage everyone to be wellrested, especially those who will be traveling great distances," Ringle said. "A lot of people, for some reason, think it's better to get up at midnight and hit the road at 1 o'clock in the morning, because the traffic is lighter, and (they will) make good time that way," Ringle added. "We discourage that simply because, normally, at one, two, three o'clock in the morning, you're sleeping, so it is extremely dangerous for people to drive at those hours, because they're always fighting fatigue." A fatigued driver, Ringle noted, is a dangerous driver. "I think a lot of people would be surprised that there are times when we will stop a motorist and we really think, because of their driving behavior, that they're impaired," Ringle said. "After talking to the driver and so forth, we quickly determine that they are not impaired, but they're fatigued. "A person that is driving while they're tired exhibit the driving behavior of an impaired driver or a drunk driver," Ringle added. "So we want people to be well-rested. It's always best to get up early, 6 o'clock in the morning, and then hit the roadway. Granted, traffic conditions may be a little bit heavier, but at least you're going to be alert, and that is extremely important." Ringle said that awareness of the fact that law enforcement are out in full force over the holiday period has resulted in people being more responsible when it comes to consuming alcoholic beverages. "We credit the media – TV, radio and newspapers – simply because they're getting the word out that we're out in full force," Ringle said. "Because of that, everyone's awareness level is so much higher and, therefore, they are more responsible, they get designated drivers and they ask their friends to drive them home. "But we also know that, on New Year's Eve, there will be drunk drivers out there," Ringle added. "And we will be out there looking for those drunk drivers." Ringle encouraged individuals who plan to consume alcoholic beverages to plan ahead and identify a designated driver before they begin drinking. "What happens, once you start drinking alcohol, one of the first things that is affected is your judgment," Ringle said. "So if you don't have that designated driver to begin with, when it comes time for you to drive, you're going to think in your mind that you're okay, you can drive safely, and you're not going to need a designated driver. "So before you even start drinking, have a plan on how you're going to get home safely," Ringle added. "There's not a worse way to celebrate the new year than by waking up in a jail cell." Ringle also reminded individuals who plan on hosting holiday parties where alcohol will be consumed to be a responsible host or hostess as well. "When people come to your party, make sure they have a plan because, ultimately, if you allow an extremely intoxicated person to leave your home, and they get inside of a car and drive down the roadway and kill somebody, you could be held responsible or liable for their actions," Ringle said. "So it's important if you're hosting a party to make sure that you are also responsible and make sure that all your guests leave either with a designated driver or they're not impaired." According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, in 2012, alcohol-impaired driving in Indiana was linked to 158 fatalities (a 12.9 percent increase from 140 fatalities in 2011) and more than 2,112 injuries. 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