July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Focus now on clean-up (1/14/05)
Area continues recovery
With students back to school today and flood waters disappearing, Jay County residents welcomed the sunshine despite the colder temperatures.
It is starting to feel like it did on Jan. 4 — before the ice, falling branches, darkness and the flooding. Less than 100 residents were without power in the area this morning, city employees are turning their attention back to debris collection and away from sandbagging in downtown Portland and county highway department crews are grading the once water-logged roads.
New Corydon resident Don Reef was happy to report this morning that flood waters have dropped between six and eight inches overnight.
“The problem is that we still can’t get out of town,” the Center Street resident said, adding that county road 700 East is impassible and county road 750 East still has water over the road. “The water has receded. Life will be back to normal in a couple of days.”
He said that no more than four residences were touched by the flood waters, causing residents at two of the houses in town to sandbag.
“I’m glad that the weather has changed,” Reef said.
Ralph Frazee, director of the Jay County Emergency Management Agency, is also thankful for the weather change.
“Thank the good Lord for sunshine. I was glad to see it snow (Thursday night) because that meant there wouldn’t be any more rain,” Frazee said this morning.
“We are happy that it wasn’t any worse than it was,” Frazee said about the flooding and electric outages. “People don’t begin to understand how bad it really was.”
But some residents are still without electricity this morning.
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier said this morning that the Portland Police Department received approximately 125 calls Thursday from city residents who were without power.
This morning, Hosier said, only a handful of calls have come in.
“I encourage residents to continue to (Continued on page 2)
(Continued from page 1)
call until we receive no calls,” Hosier said this morning. He added city street department crews were picking up sandbags and debris this morning.
“Residents need to be patient with debris pick up ... It will probably take a few weeks until we have it completed,” Hosier said.
Indiana Michigan Power Company spokesperson Susanne Moorman Rowe said this morning that residents who were still without electricity this morning should call I&M at (800) 311-4634.
“We know there are some isolated residents still without power. We definitely want them to call in,” Moorman Rowe said this morning.
On Thursday, the American Red Cross shelter staffed by the Hoosier Heartland Chapter and volunteers at the Portland Fire Department closed.
Take-home meals are still available by appointment at the shelter, which is located on Franklin Street behind Wal-Mart. Also available from the Red Cross are flood clean-up kits.
Anyone interest in the meals or kits can call the Hoosier Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross at (260) 726-9530.
All Jay Schools were back in session today on a two-hour delay, allowing for all buses and students to travel during daylight hours.
Each school except East Jay Middle School, which did not have power, held classes Thursday as well. Electricity was restored to EJMS on Thursday afternoon, Jay Schools superintendent Barbara Downing said this morning.
School attendance Thursday in Jay County was at 86 percent. It had been announced earlier in the week that attendance policies would be relaxed this week in order to accommodate anyone who might still be affected by power outages and/or flooding.
“The best attendance rate we had happened to be at (Bloomfield Elementary School) that feeds from the most flooded area,” Downing said.
She added that she hoped things would return to a state of normalcy Monday.
Also, Jay County’s boys basketball game against Mississnewa, which was canceled last week, has been rescheduled. It will be played at JCHS on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m.
The wrestling meet against Marion, which had been tentatively rescheduled for Jan. 25, has been canceled and will not be made up.
******
CR staffer Ray Cooney contributed to this story.[[In-content Ad]]
It is starting to feel like it did on Jan. 4 — before the ice, falling branches, darkness and the flooding. Less than 100 residents were without power in the area this morning, city employees are turning their attention back to debris collection and away from sandbagging in downtown Portland and county highway department crews are grading the once water-logged roads.
New Corydon resident Don Reef was happy to report this morning that flood waters have dropped between six and eight inches overnight.
“The problem is that we still can’t get out of town,” the Center Street resident said, adding that county road 700 East is impassible and county road 750 East still has water over the road. “The water has receded. Life will be back to normal in a couple of days.”
He said that no more than four residences were touched by the flood waters, causing residents at two of the houses in town to sandbag.
“I’m glad that the weather has changed,” Reef said.
Ralph Frazee, director of the Jay County Emergency Management Agency, is also thankful for the weather change.
“Thank the good Lord for sunshine. I was glad to see it snow (Thursday night) because that meant there wouldn’t be any more rain,” Frazee said this morning.
“We are happy that it wasn’t any worse than it was,” Frazee said about the flooding and electric outages. “People don’t begin to understand how bad it really was.”
But some residents are still without electricity this morning.
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier said this morning that the Portland Police Department received approximately 125 calls Thursday from city residents who were without power.
This morning, Hosier said, only a handful of calls have come in.
“I encourage residents to continue to (Continued on page 2)
(Continued from page 1)
call until we receive no calls,” Hosier said this morning. He added city street department crews were picking up sandbags and debris this morning.
“Residents need to be patient with debris pick up ... It will probably take a few weeks until we have it completed,” Hosier said.
Indiana Michigan Power Company spokesperson Susanne Moorman Rowe said this morning that residents who were still without electricity this morning should call I&M at (800) 311-4634.
“We know there are some isolated residents still without power. We definitely want them to call in,” Moorman Rowe said this morning.
On Thursday, the American Red Cross shelter staffed by the Hoosier Heartland Chapter and volunteers at the Portland Fire Department closed.
Take-home meals are still available by appointment at the shelter, which is located on Franklin Street behind Wal-Mart. Also available from the Red Cross are flood clean-up kits.
Anyone interest in the meals or kits can call the Hoosier Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross at (260) 726-9530.
All Jay Schools were back in session today on a two-hour delay, allowing for all buses and students to travel during daylight hours.
Each school except East Jay Middle School, which did not have power, held classes Thursday as well. Electricity was restored to EJMS on Thursday afternoon, Jay Schools superintendent Barbara Downing said this morning.
School attendance Thursday in Jay County was at 86 percent. It had been announced earlier in the week that attendance policies would be relaxed this week in order to accommodate anyone who might still be affected by power outages and/or flooding.
“The best attendance rate we had happened to be at (Bloomfield Elementary School) that feeds from the most flooded area,” Downing said.
She added that she hoped things would return to a state of normalcy Monday.
Also, Jay County’s boys basketball game against Mississnewa, which was canceled last week, has been rescheduled. It will be played at JCHS on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m.
The wrestling meet against Marion, which had been tentatively rescheduled for Jan. 25, has been canceled and will not be made up.
******
CR staffer Ray Cooney contributed to this story.[[In-content Ad]]
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