Thursday, May 5, 2011

Flooding along the Ohio

Rain, Rain, Go Away, come again another day!  Here in southern Indiana, as in many places in the mid-west we have seen our fair share of rain during the month of April and already 5 inches have fallen the first 2 days of May.  I went to downtown to the Old Newburgh  Lock and Dam to see the swollen Ohio River and walk along it banks.  I was amazed at the amount of water there is.  I did not take my camera, but I had my cell phone.  So come along with me and see what I saw.....


The water is normally quite a distance from that park bench.


The banks of the river are washing away in chunks!


The amount of debris was amazing!

This is a view of the boat ramp.  Normally there is a driveway just before that leaning pine tree where you exit with your boat trailer.    To the right of that leaning pine tree is a huge parking lot and the ramp, now underwater.


To the right of the sign, between the chain area, is where you would have driven up a long winding steep hill to exit with your boat trailer.

The Old Lock and Dam building's basement is under water.

You can see right through the basement windows.


Flag in the park area.  Unfortunately the park is underwater.



The following photos and information is from the Evansville Courier and Press Newspaper

DENNY SIMMONS / Courier & Press
A sidewalk is buckled after nearly half of the hill at the Newburgh Old Lock and Dam Park — saturated from the rain — let loose and slid down the hill. Vectren workers were on hand on Tuesday to turn off the gas lines that ruptured during the landslide.

One of two houses atop the hill at Newburgh's Old Lock and Dam Park sits about 20 yards from where a huge section of dirt and grass slid about a foot downhill.


A part of the parking lot atop Newburgh's Old Lock and Dam Park collapsed — as nearly half of the park's hill did — and created a landslide Tuesday.


Randy A. VanWynsberghe photography
The flooded Ohio River is seen looking north toward Evansville's downtown on Tuesday afternoon


DENNY SIMMONS / Courier & Press
The confluence of the Wabash River, left, and the Ohio River, right, covers miles of farmland and is backing up water upriver from both watery thoroughfares.


DENNY SIMMONS / Courier & Press
Ellis Park Race track is surrounded by the muddy floodwaters of the Ohio River Thursday morning. The infield is also flooded with seepage from the river and U.S. 41 has been unaffected so far.





3 comments:

robert said...

It's just awful. Thanks for the pictures. Glad y'all are ok.

Katie said...

Yikes no flooding in Indy or Mass but I feel like the raining never stops.

Hot Rod said...

I noticed a picture in the Evansville Courier back in early May of a train traveling thru a sea of Ohio River flooded bottom land river water, I assume in southwestern Vanderburgh County. The picture was by Randy A. VanWynsberghe, so I did a search and it came to this site. Do you know if this picture would be available for purchase? My grandsons love trains and visit the Howell Yards area with their dad regularly and they would love this picture. Would appreciate your help. Thank you!