Additional rounds of rain take aim at flood-battered Midwest

By Dalia Faheid, Sarah Dewberry, Kate S. Petersen, Meteorologists Briana Waxman, Mary Gilbert

(CNN) — The Midwest is bracing for yet another round of drenching storms – marking a sixth straight day of flooding rain for a region that has seen hundreds forced from their homes this week.

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After a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall in parts of Indiana Wednesday, officials conducted water rescues and ordered evacuations as rivers burst their banks and floodwater rushed into homes and left roads impassable.

Gov. Mike Braun requested a presidential emergency declaration through the Federal Emergency Management Agency Friday, a day after declaring a statewide disaster emergency and mobilizing the Indiana National Guard.

Millions across the Midwest remain under flood watches Friday. In areas already saturated by rain, even modest rainfall in the coming hours could cause new problems.

Here’s the latest:

• More storms to come: Soaking morning storms brought flash flooding from Iowa to Illinois. Most storms lost their punch by early Friday afternoon, but the rain threat still isn’t over. A new round of storms will begin in Iowa by Friday evening and spread east overnight.
• Authorities search for missing teen: In Delaware County, Indiana, authorities are searching for an 18-year-old missing after jumping into a river Wednesday night, though boat-based search operations have been suspended due to dangerous conditions, the sheriff’s office told CNN. Two other people were killed in Indiana earlier this week during a powerful derecho.
• Water rescues, evacuations: Authorities rescued residents from high water in several areas in Indiana, including Delaware, Madison, Wayne and Henry counties as rivers burst their banks. The White River in Anderson, Indiana, hit a record high of nearly 25 feet Friday morning — the highest in more than 100 years. Flooding along the Whitewater River forced evacuations, including in Dearborn County, Indiana. Water levels dropped below flood stage along the river Friday morning.
• Not just Indiana: A flash flood emergency – the highest level of flood warning – was issued Thursday evening for Knott County in eastern Kentucky. Several water rescues were conducted in the northern part of the county late Thursday. In Ohio, some 375 people were forced to evacuate because of flooding.

Indiana homes, businesses flooded

Photos and videos out of Indiana show scenes of destruction as floodwater rushed into homes and businesses.

Timothy Hicks, a father of six, told the Associated Press it was “a panic to get out of here” when floodwater began pouring into their Cambridge City, Indiana, house on Wednesday.

“I just started grabbing them, running them out to the car without even getting shoes, clothes or anything like that,” he said. Video of the home shows ruined bedrooms, a damaged bike and flooded yard. “It just crushes me. My kids’ house is gone,” Hicks added.

Security camera photos show the devastation caused by flooding in Metamora, Indiana, where numerous businesses were damaged Wednesday.

Bill Smith, owner of Village Smith and Village Smith Coffee Bar, told CNN many residents are facing significant losses.

“We won’t know until we see how much more flooding may occur with the incoming rain,” Smith said. “There’s not much we can say about the degree of loss until we can access our buildings.”

Disaster emergencies declared

Yorktown, in Indiana’s Delaware County, declared a local disaster emergency Thursday afternoon, with first responders working around the clock to assist with evacuations. Drone footage shared by the city showed houses, vehicles and roads submerged in muddy floodwater.

The Yorktown Fire Department has helped roughly 10 people escape vehicles stranded in floodwater or homes surrounded by water since Wednesday, Lt. Blair Webster told CNN. Floodwater was chest deep in parts of Yorktown, he said.

Photos and a video posted by the Yorktown Public Library show floodwater in the book stacks and submerged children’s toys.

On Thursday night, the Delaware County emergency management office said it had received reports of “noxious, chemical, and foul fumes” coming from floodwater. The office warned residents to watch for symptoms including nausea, dizziness, and headache.

In the city of Muncie, water is deep enough in the streets that rescuers are using motorized boats, and essential infrastructure is failing. “I’ve been with the department for 29 years, and I’ve never seen flooding like this,” the city’s Fire Chief Dan Burford told CNN Thursday.

Authorities in Delaware County are also continuing to search for 18-year-old Matthew Morey, who went missing after he and three others reportedly jumped from a bridge into the Mississinewa River Wednesday night, according to the sheriff’s office.

Crews had to pause search efforts Thursday afternoon due to rising water levels. They were still searching on land and using thermal drones Friday morning, Sheriff Tony Skinner told CNN, but operations in the water remain suspended due to the dangerous conditions. “We will do everything we can short of putting others at risk until the river goes down several more feet,” Skinner said.

In nearby Anderson, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency and issued evacuation orders Thursday along the swollen White River and other waterways.

Fire departments in Anderson’s Madison County “have been busy all day” with evacuations and “some water rescues,” and more than 300 animals were being evacuated from a flooded animal shelter, Sheriff John Beeman told CNN Thursday night.

Renewed flood danger late Friday

Friday morning’s drenching storms largely eased up by the early afternoon. Another round of storms will likely move through the same area late Friday through early Saturday.

Iowa and Illinois face the greatest risk from another round of flooding rain — a Level 3 of 4 — that’s set to start late Friday afternoon but will kick into another gear overnight as storms head east. Communities in Indiana and Ohio already soaked this week could see more flooding by early Saturday morning.

Exactly where the heaviest rain lands remains uncertain, but forecast models suggests more than 5 inches could fall in the hardest-hit areas, with isolated totals topping 8 inches through Saturday.

A broader Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain stretches east to the Appalachians into Saturday morning. Rainfall totals may be lower there, but intense downpours could quickly renew flooding in waterlogged communities.

The flood threat may ease somewhat Saturday — especially later in the day — but another Level 3 of 4 risk is in place. The main corridor for heavy rain will shift north and east compared to earlier this week.

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CNN’s Matthew Rehbein contributed to this report.