JASPER, Ind. (AP) - Heavy rains that drenched parts of southern Indiana with nearly four inches of rain sparked flooding that trapped two truck drivers and a motorist in their vehicles Friday before emergency crews ferried them to dry ground.
Indiana State Police said portions of Interstate 64 were closed Friday in Perry and Dubois counties due to flooding sparked by lines of thunderstorms that swept across the region.
The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, issued a flash flood warning for much of southwestern Indiana. And flood watches covered Indiana’s southern third as more heavy rains pushed across the state.
Ferdinand firefighters rescued two truck drivers from their rigs Friday after floodwaters swamped part of I-64 near the town about 40 miles northeast of Evansville.
Fire Chief Dan Lindauer said his crew used its ladder truck to extend an aerial ladder outward to a swamped UPS tractor-trailer. That crew then lowered a ground ladder to the cab, allowing the truck driver to reach safety.
Lindauer said his firefighters have used the department’s ladder truck several times for similar high-water rescues.
“It really works great,” he told The Herald (https://bit.ly/1NHp9Wk ).
The crews also rescued the driver of a Nunn Milling Co. tractor-trailer from Evansville that ended up along the highway’s shoulder, listing in the high waters behind the UPS rig.
Dubois County Highway Superintendent Steve Berg said that by late Friday morning waters covered at least 18 low-lying portions of county roads. He cautioned motorists that debris along those roads could cause problems when the water recedes.
Jasper has received nearly 4 inches of rain since Thursday and more rainfall was expected throughout Friday.
In Floyd County just north of Louisville, Kentucky, a motorist was rescued early Friday when floodwaters rose quickly around his car as he drove along a flooded county road, said County Emergency Management Director Terry Herthel.
That man called 911 after his car was swept off the roadway and he sought refuge atop the vehicle. A water rescue team reached the man about 5:20 a.m. Friday.
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