NEW ALBANY — With the remnants of Hurricane Isaac expected to bring heavy rainfall to Southern Indiana over the weekend and on Labor Day, officials are advising residents to be wary of flood waters and to clear debris from catch basins.

“The stormwater department will be fully ready and all the crews are on standby, so they’re expected to be called into service,” New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan said Thursday.

New Albany Stormwater Coordinator Joseph Ham said some forecasts are calling for as much as 7 inches of rain for the area by Tuesday morning.

“If you live in a flood-prone area that you know of, during heavy rains like this, just protect yourself and your property,” he advised.

Ensuring catch basins are clear of debris so stormwater can flow through them is the main preparation people can make to combat flooding, Ham said. While most drainage systems are designed to handle a 100-year storm, rapid downpours can overwhelm stormwater infrastructure and lead to localized flooding, he continued.

New Albany stormwater crews have been checking drainage head walls and basins over the past few days ahead of the expected rainfall. Stormwater workers will also be on call over the weekend to respond to flooded areas, Ham said.

One of the usual problems during a heavy rain event is debris such as vegetation and trash are pushed into drainage lines and block basins, and that is what the crews will look to fight if they are called in over the weekend, Ham continued.

A dry summer could make the runoff worse because the rain will likely be unable to penetrate the hardened ground as quickly as it could if it had been wetter this year, Floyd County Emergency Management Agency Director Terry Herthel said Thursday.

Like Gahan and Ham, he advised property owners to do the best they can to keep drainage lines clear, but added they must consider their own safety first. Herthel also advised motorists to be careful when driving during the rainfall.

“Just don’t go through flood water,” he said. “If the road is covered in water, you don’t know which way the road goes, and if you fall off the edge you could be in really deep water.”

Gahan said city crews are also planning to spray for mosquitos Tuesday morning in parks and low lying areas, as he anticipates the flood waters could create a haven for the pests without the use of pesticides.

On the bright side, Gahan said hopefully the rain will bring some relief to Southern Indiana.

“This is good news to a certain extent that we’re going to get some much needed moisture,” he said.

Some of the typical flood areas in the city include Graybrook Lane, the North Y off Eighth Street and Grant Line Road near The Salvation Army store.

The stormwater department will be taking calls over the weekend to respond to flooding concerns. The after-hours line is 502-558-1507.



JEFFERSONVILLE

Jeffersonville Wastewater Superintendent Len Ashack said the impending rainfall may cause some problems, but the city is trying to mitigate issues that may arise.

He said the city is adding on-call employees for the weekend and is preparing all of its emergency equipment in case it is needed. To help mitigate any issues, Ashack said city employees will clean catch basins downtown.

“We want to make sure all those catch basins are open,” he said.

“It’s the heavy downpours, 2 inches in an hour, that concerns us,” Ashack said.

He added with the changes to the storm sewers that have been made recently the city will be able to handle the steady rains.

“We’ll see how well some of our construction monies have been spent,” he said. “We’ll be able to respond a lot quicker and a lot more proactively than we have in the past.”

Call 812-285-6451 with Jeffersonville wastewater questions.

— Staff Writer Braden Lammers contributed to this report.