This week’s storms pushed White River floodwater hard against Rocky Ripple’s aging levee, leaving the Indiana town perilously close to catastrophe.
Residents say major flooding was avoided only after a vast volunteer sandbagging effort added a few crucial inches to the barrier.
Here’s what to know
With the White River climbing during severe flooding in central Indiana, about 1,000 volunteers spent more than two days reinforcing Rocky Ripple’s levee with sandbags, according to the IndyStar.
Town council president Randy Sanders said nearly 15,000 bags were placed. The first sand came from deliveries by the Indianapolis Department of Public Works. Once that supply was exhausted, volunteers kept filling bags by taking sand from the volleyball court at Hohlt Park…