Julia and Brian Moore are no strangers to flooding.
The couple has lived about a half mile from the White River since 1998. When the forecast predicts rain, they monitor projections from a U.S. Geological Survey gauge upstream. If the waters are set to rise, they break out the sandbags.
But they’ve never seen flooding like what they did on Aug. 16.
It was all a blur. Water quickly crept across their yard, exceeding predictions and ultimately cresting the roughly 4-foot wall of sandbags and wood the Moores had constructed to protect their garage and basement. It rushed through the lower level, flooding Brian’s pottery studio and destroying equipment and appliances, including a kiln, a furnace, a water heater, a fridge and a washer and dryer.
“It’s never been this bad,” Julia said.
Unlike neighboring areas such as Ravenswood, the Moores’ home was not at the heart of this month’s historic flooding, when residents were told to evacuate and some were rescued by boat. But they are among the many Indianapolis residents left picking up the pieces after heavy rains flood houses, even during much less historic storms.
That includes Sarah Watson. An Aug. 1 storm overwhelmed the sewer line and forced sewage and storm debris through her toilet, filling her finished basement in Garfield Park with about 16 inches of water.
“All of the things the homeowner is supposed to do, we had done,” Watson said. “It was the heavy downpour, and the sewer system couldn’t handle it.”
Waters recede, residents deal with the aftermath
The damage at the Moores’ house goes beyond what got soaked in the storm.
In the short term, the home remains without power. Brian sleeps at the house with the garage door open to prevent mold from setting in. Julia stays at a hotel, arranged for by their adult children.
The destruction of Brian’s studio and kilns will likely mean he will spend the next year rebuilding. What kind of aid will come in and from where — insurance, emergency government aid or something else — is unclear. Their insurance agent, for an unknown reason, stopped filing their flood insurance. Another potential fight ahead of the already exhausted couple.
“I’m beat,” Brian said.
Watson, however, won’t be eligible for government aid. Her basement apartment in Garfield Park flooded during a storm that was not considered an emergency by the state or federal authorities. So she’s on the hook for most of the $80,000 she estimates it will take to remediate her basement, one reason she started a GoFundMe, with a goal she has already almost met.
“I am overwhelmed by people’s generosity,” she said.
After the initial flooding, Watson said she was able to find a remediation company to haul out many of her contaminated belongings, rip out drywall and sanitize the area.
She regrets having to part ways with some of her more beloved possessions, but also knows that it’s what was right to keep her and her family safe.
“We threw away furniture my grandfather built. But we don’t want to risk living in a sewage situation,” she said.
What to do if your basement is flooded
When basements flood during heavy rainfall, the water can also make its way inside through cracks in the floor, according to Jeff Russell, operating partner at Basement Systems of Indiana. Water pressure builds to the point that it forces its way inside.
“It’s the same thing as if you were to take a bowl and drill a hole in the bottom of it and try to push it down in the sink,” he said. “You’d have water coming up through that hole in the bottom.”
If you find your basement has flooded, Russell advised to get the area dry as fast as possible. If you have a sump pump with a cover, make sure to open it and keep the drain clear of debris so the pump can remove water. If you don’t have a sump pump, floor pumps can help you remove the water.
Once the bulk of the water is removed, bring in some fans or a dehumidifier to get the room dry as quickly as possible, he said. That’s to prevent mold from setting in.
After that, you might consider hiring a remediation service or having your basement waterproofed.
Kyle Keesling, whose basement at his home near 54th Street and Boulevard Place also flooded on Aug. 1, found documenting as much as possible was helpful in his case. After a sewer backflow caused about $13,500 of damage, he learned his plumber had improperly installed a backflow valve that could have prevented the overflow.
Now, with documents in hand, he may be able to recoup money that otherwise would have gone to an insurance deductible.
Keesling knows he and his family got off easy. From their home, he can just about see the flood wall that keeps the water from Rocky Ripple from spilling into his neighborhood during the worst storms.
“In some ways I’m lucky, I’m on the right side of that wall,” he said. “But I’m like, we have these protections but it doesn’t always mean there isn’t something else that’s going to get you.”
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Emily Hopkins is a senior reporter at Mirror Indy. You can reach them by phone or Signal at 317-790-5268 or email at emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis or on Bluesky @emilyhopkins.bsky.social.
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