VERNON — The Aug. 11 rains that brought historic flooding to Indiana had Jennings County residents keeping a close eye on the Muscatatuck River as it rose higher than people had seen in 15 years or more.
“It was a real shock, all of that rain and wind, all of a sudden and at once,” said Madison Hill, a clerk at Old Vernon Liquors on the county courthouse square in Vernon. “Honest to God, for days straight we thought maybe the river would flood. My mom took some pictures over the bridge. The water was so high.”
Nearly a week after the deluge, the river had calmed and receded. It flowed at a slow pace along Commons Park at the edge of Vernon. Days earlier, the river had overflowed its banks there, flooding one section of the park near the Historic Vernon Trailhead.
Jennings County Parks and Recreation Director Seth Jones said the river was higher than he’s seen in his 15 years there.
“We got lucky,” he said.
But last weekend, another storm came through with a downpour and high winds that toppled a tall tree next to his garage.
While Jennings County escaped the devastating flooding seen in central and eastern Indiana and the extensive wind damage in the northwestern part of the state, residents were left stunned and sad over the Aug. 11 death of a 4-year-old boy who died when a tree fell onto a mobile home near North Vernon.
Police said emergency responders were called to the County Squire Lakes community near Queensville in Geneva Township at 3:25 that Tuesday afternoon. Three people were unharmed when high winds uprooted a tree, but the child was trapped inside a back bedroom where the tree landed. He died at the scene.
“This is a heavily wooded neighborhood with a lot of homes, and unfortunately this is just a tragic accident that happened,” Jennings County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Cody Low said during a news conference.
“It was such a shock to hear about that tree falling like that, and so sad about that little boy,” Hill said.
The Jennings County coroner hasn’t yet released the child’s name.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security said seven people died statewide during last week’s storms:
- the child in Jennings County,
- a 19-year-old Delaware County man set to start classes this month at Purdue University,
- a 58-year-old woman in Delaware County,
- a 58-year-old woman in Lake County,
- an 86-year-old woman in Porter County,
- a 32-year-old man in LaPorte County
- and a 31-year-old man in Henry County.
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FPI News reporter Laura Lane covers the people and issues of rural Indiana. Reach her at 812-760-1540 or laura.lane@fpinews.org.
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