UTICA, Ind. (WDRB) — The town of Utica in southern Indiana is expecting to lose upward of 50 homes when the Ohio River spills over the next few days.
The residents are used to flooding but that doesn’t make it any easier to pack up and leave.
“The Utica people live on the river, we love the river, but it’s bad when it gets out of hand,” said Steve Long, Utica town board president.
It’s a stressful situation for neighbors in Utica, Indiana, waiting for the Ohio River to breech its banks.
“Yeah, worrying about flooding,” Chris Halford said.
“When it floods, it gets nasty,” Long said.
Moving trucks lined the streets as people packed up their belongings as they wait for what will likely be the worst flooding in Utica since 2018.
“All my furniture, washer, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove,” resident Mike Cannon said.
“We’re going to lose about 50 homes in about three hours on Sunday,” Long said. “They’re going to get water in their houses. You know these people, they’ll come back, but it’s tough to prepare for.”
Last time around, Cannon had five feet of water inside his apartment and couldn’t return for months.
“It’s just a hassle, you know,” Cannon said. “I mean you think well you move out and that’s it but it’s not, you gotta remodel, you gotta start all over again.”
Town officials plan to shut the town down around noon Sunday and that could take a while.
“And we’d appreciate if people would just stay out of Utica until we get this thing resolved,” Long said.
Town officials said FEMA will be there to help impacted residents.
“These people, they’re tough,” Long said. “We’ll be back, I just hope that everybody stays safe. That’s the thing.”
