STORM HITS INDIANA: 2 killed in Porter County; Lake County sees evacuations

John Erickson of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security said at 5:25 p.m. Sunday that Indiana Task Force One is providing search and rescue coordination support for the Emergency Operations Center and that sandbagging in Lake County is still under way because of heavy rainfall resulting from remnants of Hurricane Ike.
 
Two people have been reported during the storm in Porter County, Erickson said.

Porter and Lake counties are in northwest Indiana.

Rain, high winds and other severe weather are being experienced in different parts of the state because of Hurricane Ike, Erickson said. Many areas of the state are on weather alert into the evening. The center of Hurricane Ike is expected to be out of the state by 10 p.m.
 
Erickson report the following in a news release:

Summary
-2 fatalities in Porter County.
-Sandbagging was conducted SAturday night in Lake County.
-IDHS, DNR and ISP have deployed to Lake County.
-Evacuations under way in Lake County.
 
River Monitoring
Various rivers and bodies of water are of concern. To monitor as information comes in, go to: www.weather.gov/ahps
 
Southern Indiana
Damage has been reported in several counties in southern Indiana. 90,000 customers are without power in Jennings County.
 
Central Indiana
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for most of Central Indiana until 8 p.m. Sunday. 30 mph sustained winds with 50 mph wind gusts are expected.
 
Engaged in Response Operations
The following State of Indiana agencies and entities are engaged with response operations: Indiana Department of Corrections, Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana National Guard and Indiana State Police. Specific numbers of staff engaged in operations are being gathered at this time.
 
Crawford County
Indiana Department of Transportation is assisting with local debris removal operations in Crawford County.
 
Elkhart County
The NWS has issued a flood warning for Elkhart County until 7:30 p.m.
 
LaGrange County
The NWS has issued a flood warning for LaGrange County until 7:30 p.m.
 
Evacuations are under way in several areas of Lake County due to flooding. I-80/94 closed to Mile Marker 34.
 
Sandbagging operations were conducted Saturday night and efforts are still under way. Included for sandbagging is Munster, Highland, Dyer, Hammond, Schererville. Evacuations are under way in several areas of Lake County due to flooding. Munster. Sandbags: 40,000
Pounds of Sand: 96,000. Sandbagging being handled Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and local volunteers.
 
Rain from Saturday night's event has increased stream levels and rain is forecasted throughout the day today.
 
ISP has recalled troopers from the motorcycle race in Indianapolis back to the Lowell district.
 
NWS has upgraded the flood warning at Munster for the Little Calumet River in Lake County through Monday night.
 
DNR boat crews and ISP dive teams are on scene.
 
An IDHS planning team of two has been dispatched to Lake County for operations and support. The team will join the IDHS district coordinator already in Lake County who is providing support.
 
LaPorte County
The NWS has issued a flood warning for urban areas and small streams in LaPorte County until 11:30 p.m.
 
Marshall County
The NWS has issued a flood warning for Marshall County until 7:30 p.m.
 
Porter County
Porter County Emergency Management Agency activated its emergency operations center in response to flooding.
 
St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County Emergency Operations Center has been activated. Wind gusts of 60 mph have been reported. The NWS has issued a flood warning for urban areas and small streams in St. Joseph and LaPorte counties until 11:30 p.m.
 
Starke County
The NWS has issued a flood warning for Starke County until 7:30 p.m.