Flood warning remains until Friday

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February 7, 2008

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL The Commercial-News Thu Feb 07, 2008, 10:36 AM CST

DANVILLE — Flooded river levels appear to be slowly dropping after cresting late Wednesday night.

The North Fork crested at 19½ feet Wednesday and barring any surges, has begun to recede once again, said Vermilion County Emergency Management Director Ted Fisher.

The Vermilion River was measured by the National Weather Service at 26 feet just before 5 a.m. today. Predictions now depict the start of downward slope to below flood stage by 6 p.m. Friday.

The changes are the result of less-than-expected precipitation throughout the day on Wednesday. Intermittent snow showers dropped less than the 1 inch predicted.

Flooding is expected to continue through much of today and the county remains in a flood warning until Friday.

Hydrologists with the National Weather Service took a tour of the county Wednesday, checking areas of flooding.

Fisher said the tour, scheduled far in advance of the flooding situation, resulted in a decision to change the way flood situations are forecast in Vermilion County.

Fisher said the current forecasting point, located just south of Danville along the Vermilion River, is expected to be moved to the Bismarck area in the future. The result, he said, will be a better indication of the river level and flooding situations.

The tour also offered new discoveries of flooded areas around Vermilion County. Fisher said the road was shut down on the west side of Kickapoo State Park after enough flooding was discovered to prevent access to the gauging station there.

A number of other roads also were reported with high water levels Wednesday. Vermilion County Highway Commissioner Bob Andrews said water across County Highway 10, about a half-mile south of Potomac, forced barricades to be erected.

Andrews said township road commissioners don’t have enough barricades to deal with all the roads with water across them. Rossville Slab east of Rossville, Gaumer Bridge Road west of Alvin and State Line Road all were listed as having water on the pavement. In addition, several other roadways located in Vance Township were under water as a result of Salt Fork River flooding.

Inside Danville city limits, only a couple streets were closed because of the water. Bob Scott, service and operations manager for the Department of Public Works, said barricades were placed on South Logan Avenue and Washington Street.

Stoney Creek, which caused the city garage to sandbag its entrance, is high and continuing to rise slowly, affecting Bowman Avenue and South Street.

Some road closures are expected across the state line in Indiana where the Wabash River continues to rise beyond its banks.

Joe Whitaker, director of the Fountain County Emergency Management Agency, said the river was measured at 22 feet as of 3:30 p.m. EST Wednesday. Forecasts call for the Wabash to crest at 26½ feet by Saturday.

The totals are lower than early predictions, a change Whitaker said could be a result of lighter precipitation.

The predicted water crest is not expected to be enough to cause damages to any homes.

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