FOUNTAIN COUNTY — Heavy rains collapsed part of a highway and flooded a campground Thursday, making for a soggy start to the Independence Day weekend.
The National Weather Service said as much as 3 inches of rain fell overnight in parts of southern Fountain County, where rural roads south of State Road 32 became washed out.
“So we’re just putting extreme caution out to people to drive safely down that area,” said Joe Whitaker, director of the Fountain County Emergency Management Agency.
A section of State Road 32 caved in between Sugar Mill Lake and Crooked roads just west of the Montgomery County line, another travel headache for motorists detouring around bridge construction on U.S. 136.
Crews were assessing the damage Thursday morning, Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Debbie Calder said. It wasn’t immediately known how long repairs would take to reopen the road.
The flooding left campsites under water at Sugar Mill Lake and Campground. Photos posted to a Facebook group for campers showed people standing waist deep in water and boat docks washed away.
One camper said on Facebook the flooding was worse than in 2003, when water inundated the property over Labor Day weekend. Sugar Mill’s owners urged campers not to come, saying roads were closed in the area.
Fountain County officials issued a travel watch, meaning only essential travel was recommended. Motorists were urged to turn around if they encountered flooded roads.
The Wabash River at Covington neared flood stage Thursday morning, according to the weather service. The river stood at 14.03 feet at 9:45 a.m. with the flood stage at 16 feet.
Sugar Creek at Crawfordsville stood well below flood stage as of morning observations.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office received reports of standing water and downed trees. State Road 47 at C.R. 600W was closed for several hours Thursday morning due to fallen power lines and poles.
An additional quarter-to-half-inch of rain was expected in Crawfordsville through Thursday evening, according to the weather service.
The weather is expected to be drier and less humid this weekend before heat and rain chances return next week, forecasters say.
