Indiana Flash Flood Emergency: Muncie and Cambridge City Underwater as White River Nears Major Flood Stage

Published:August 13, 2026 · Updated:August 13, 2026, 3:45 PM ET · Reviewed by Ertuğrul Öz, Certified Fire Chief & Training Specialist

A day after a deadly derecho and flash flooding tore through Ohio, the same relentless storm pattern rolled into Indiana Wednesday, dropping what officials in Wayne County described as more than three months' worth of rain in about a day and a half in some spots. The result was catastrophic, fast-onset flooding across a wide swath of east-central and southeast Indiana, stretching first responders in multiple counties to their limits — and by Thursday morning, sending rivers to their highest crests in decades as the water moved downstream.

Muncie and Delaware County: River Crests at Highest Level in 80+ Years

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for Muncie, Yorktown, Chesterfield, and Albany just after 10 a.m. Wednesday, after emergency management reported 3 to 6 inches of rain had already fallen in Muncie, with additional rainfall rates of 0.5 to 1.25 inches per hour. Muncie officials evacuated residents in the southeast part of the city as flooding worsened through the morning, and the Muncie Sanitary District made free sandbags available at 5200 W. Kilgore for residents needing to protect their homes. By Thursday morning, the White River at Muncie had reached major flood stage and crested at its highest level in more than 80 years, according to national storm coverage tracking river gauges across the region. A National Weather Service flood statement issued Thursday at 6:13 a.m. put the river's stage at 15.5 feet, forecast to rise slightly to a crest near 15.8 feet later that morning before falling back below the 9.0-foot flood stage late Friday morning — meaning the river is expected to remain in flood for roughly two more days. Downstream in Anderson, the White River was forecast to crest at its highest level in more than 100 years by Thursday evening, according to CNN's tracking of the event. Delaware County Emergency Management continues to ask residents to follow its social media for the latest on road conditions, shelters, and sandbag locations rather than relying on secondhand reports.

Cambridge City: The Hardest-Hit Community

Wayne County took the worst of Wednesday's storms, with the Emergency Management Agency reporting between 7.3 and 10 inches of rain across the western part of the county in just 24 hours. Cambridge City, a small town about an hour east of Indianapolis that Wayne County officials say is especially prone to flooding because of a canal running through it, saw flooding described by county emergency management as worse than anything crews there had seen before. The Whitewater River overflowed its banks, submerging roads and homes around Main and Plum streets, with water reaching the second floor of some structures and rising high enough to touch the underside of the bridge leading into town.

Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter said rescue efforts stretched first responders to their limits given the sheer number of calls, with crews pulling residents from a roughly 15-square-block area of downtown Cambridge City alone. County officials estimated "dozens" of water rescues took place through the morning and early afternoon Wednesday. Evacuees were initially routed to the Cambridge City Fire Department, the Golay Community Center, and Western Wayne Elementary School; by Wednesday afternoon, at least 32 people had been relocated to a longer-term American Red Cross shelter at the Wayne County Fairgrounds, where the Red Cross has been setting up beds, restrooms, and hygiene facilities for displaced residents. More than 2,000 Cambridge City residents lost power at the height of the storm — a figure now folded into the more than 250,000 outages reported statewide by Thursday morning — and the town remains under a boil-water advisory while warning residents to prepare for utility outages that could last several days. Nearby Hagerstown was also significantly affected, with Turnpike Road washing away entirely and police warning drivers not to go around barricades after several vehicles became stuck in high water despite the closures. As of the latest local reporting, Wayne County officials say there are still no confirmed injuries or fatalities connected to the flooding.

Road Closures Across the Region

The flooding forced widespread road closures across multiple counties. In Wayne County, part of the pavement on Interstate 70 westbound near Centerville sustained significant damage — INDOT confirmed Wednesday evening that the westbound lanes had washed away entirely just east of Centerville Road, and crews say repair assessments will only begin once floodwaters recede. Drivers are being detoured via U.S. 27, U.S. 36, and State Road 9 back to I-70. State Road 38 remains closed just west of U.S. 35 after part of the roadway washed away, and U.S. 40 remains closed at Mulberry Street in Cambridge City due to flooding. Wayne County's Level 3 Travel Warning — the highest level, restricting all but emergency travel — covered Richmond and Centerville through noon Thursday, August 13; check current county-by-county status before traveling, as advisories are being adjusted as floodwaters recede in some areas and rise in others downstream. Eleven Indiana counties reported some form of travel advisory, watch, or warning tied to the flooding as of Wednesday.

Rivers Still Rising Downstream: What's Ahead

The initial rainfall caused dangerous flash flooding, and river levels across the region are now cresting and moving downstream in sequence. At least three rivers in eastern Indiana reached major flood stage by Thursday, including the White River at Muncie, which the National Weather Service says will stay above its 9-foot flood stage until roughly midday Friday. In Fayette County, the Whitewater River was expected to rise above its 18-foot flood stage toward roughly 23 feet, threatening significant flooding in parts of Connersville. In Shelby County, the Flatrock and Big Blue rivers were forecast to crest around 19.4 feet Thursday evening — a level the National Weather Service describes as approaching the flood of record for the Big Blue River at Shelbyville — affecting access roads and residential structures in low-lying areas; officials there recommended a voluntary evacuation for residents along the rivers, and the county's Swift Water Team remained on standby. The NWS has extended active Flood Warnings for the White River near Nora, Ravenswood, and Noblesville, and for the Tippecanoe River near Delphi, with forecasters warning the flooding threat will persist through the weekend and into early next week in some areas as the crest continues moving downstream toward Indianapolis and beyond.

• ✓Wayne County shelter: American Red Cross emergency shelter at the First Bank Kuhlman Center, Wayne County Fairgrounds, 861 Salisbury Road N., Richmond — at least 32 evacuees relocated there as of Wednesday afternoon.
• ✓Muncie sandbags: Free sandbags and shovels available at 5200 W. Kilgore (next to Muncie Sanitary District Engineering); residents fill their own.
• ✓School closures: Richmond Community Schools, Western Wayne Schools, Centerville-Abington Community Schools, and Richmond Friends School closed; Northeastern Wayne Schools closed after a delay; Nettle Creek Schools moved to e-learning; Seton Catholic delayed two hours. Check individual district pages before Thursday/Friday classes.
• ✓Statewide travel status: Check in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory for current county-by-county travel advisories, which are being updated as conditions shift downstream.
• ✓Cambridge City residents: Boil-water advisory remains in effect; be prepared for extended utility outages of several days per town officials.
• ✓Displaced pets: Wayne County Sheriff's Office is coordinating reunification for animals left behind during evacuations — residents can submit a request form via the Sheriff's Office social media pages.

This flooding follows a destructive derecho and separate flash flooding that struck Ohio a day earlier, part of the same multiday severe weather pattern that moved across the Midwest and Ohio Valley. Gov. Mike Braun said Wednesday he expects to issue a statewide disaster declaration, though it had not been formally announced as of this update; the state's Emergency Operations Center remains at Level 3 activation. This is a developing story; we'll continue updating it as county emergency management agencies, the National Weather Service, and state officials release further information on downstream river crests, damage assessments, a possible disaster declaration, and recovery timelines.