INDIANAPOLIS — President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration for Indiana on Saturday as historic flooding tied to the White River killed at least five people, forced hundreds of evacuations across the Indianapolis area, and pushed river levels to heights not seen in more than a century.

FEMA announced just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday that federal disaster assistance would be available to Indiana following Trump’s approval, a move Gov. Mike Braun had formally requested a day earlier. The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover 75% of eligible emergency response costs, including rescue operations and emergency sheltering, across 53 Indiana counties, though it stops short of a full disaster declaration.

Braun said he spoke with Trump shortly before announcing the news at a press conference. “I spoke with President Trump today about the severe storms and historic flooding impacting Indiana,” Braun said, crediting the coordinated push from state officeholders and members of Congress with helping expedite a process that typically takes four to five days.

The flooding stemmed from days of heavy rainfall, compounded by a likely derecho that struck the state August 11. The National Weather Service reported more than 11 inches of rain fell over a two-day period in parts of central Indiana, sending the White River to record levels as the water moved downstream toward Indianapolis. In Noblesville, the river crested overnight at 24.6 feet, surpassing a previous record of 23.8 feet set in March 1913. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett described the flooding as the city’s worst in more than 30 years.

Indiana Department of Homeland Security executive director Jonathan Whitham said the scale of the event ranked among the most severe the state has faced in recent memory. “This is a historic event for Indiana,” Whitham said, adding that he expects tens of millions of dollars in property and infrastructure damage, calling the estimate a conservative “low ballpark” figure.

At least five deaths have been confirmed by state officials as tied to the storms and flooding, though authorities said they continue investigating whether additional deaths may be connected to the storm system. Among those who died was Matthew Morey, a 19-year-old Delta High School graduate headed to Purdue University, whose body was recovered from the Mississinewa River in Delaware County three days after he and three friends jumped off a bridge into the water. Jeff Stanley, chief deputy of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, addressed the loss directly. “Our hearts are with Matthew’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved him,” Stanley said, adding that investigators had committed to searching until his family had answers.

A second Delaware County resident, 59-year-old Stephanie Sallee, was also found dead after officials said her car was swept away by floodwaters while she was driving through a rain-swollen area.

In Indianapolis, the White River’s rise triggered evacuations across several neighborhoods, including Rocky Ripple, Ravenswood and Broad Ripple. City officials said roughly 400 people had been evacuated from Ravenswood alone, in addition to those evacuated from Broad Ripple the previous night, while emergency crews conducted dozens of water rescues using boats. The Department of Public Works closed floodgates overnight around the Indianapolis Arts Center, the Edgewater Apartments, and other properties along the river’s south bank, and later moved to close the 53rd Street bridge in Rocky Ripple, prompting the town to post an urgent warning telling residents it was their “last way out.”

Public Works Director Todd Wilson urged continued caution even as officials tracked the river’s crest. “The water is still rising and will be rising all day long,” Wilson said. “Heed the warnings.”

In Carmel, north of Indianapolis, roughly 40 residents were evacuated, including residents of the Bickford of Carmel assisted living facility, who were relocated to other care facilities and a local church. Sinkholes also forced the closure of a stretch of Hazel Dell Parkway in Carmel after the ground gave way near Blue Woods Creek.

Beyond the immediate flooding response, authorities in Wayne County warned residents to remain alert for scammers posing as FEMA representatives going door to door. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita urged residents to verify credentials of anyone claiming to offer flood relief, avoid wire transfers, and insist on written agreements, noting that FEMA never charges application fees.

Braun pointed to the state’s $1.14 billion rainy day fund as a key resource supporting Indiana’s response, while acknowledging that increasingly extreme weather could reshape how the state approaches disaster preparedness going forward, drawing a comparison to hurricane-prone Florida’s approach to insurance and readiness. Indiana has recorded 81 confirmed tornadoes so far in 2026, and Whitham said the scale of this summer’s flood damage could rival or exceed costs from the state’s last major flooding event, in June 2008.

With water levels beginning to recede in some areas Saturday evening even as new rain moved through parts of northern Indiana, officials cautioned that the danger was not yet over, warning that flash flooding remained possible in low-lying areas even after the White River’s crest had passed.

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