According to Metro Sewer District a record amount of rain has fallen on the city of Louisville. The city of Louisville has had to deal with more rain fall in a 1 hour-period than has ever been recorded. MSD spokesmen say, “This is NOT a drainage problem, it is a flooding problem. There is no reason to be out unless there is a medical emergency.”
A flash flood warning was issued for the city of Louisville in Kentucky at 10:03 AM on 8/4/09. It is now 11 AM and over 6 inches of rain and hail have fallen over a large portion of the city.
Local news authorities are reporting major power outages, floating manhole covers, barricaded viaducts, closed expressways, and even several water rescues.
More than 9″ of rain has fallen on the city in the last week. The problem is now compounding in that the ground is saturated and any and all rain received will simply be runoff – causing ponding and flooding.
Louisville Flooding Hardest Hit Areas:
The hardest hit areas of Louisville are: Downtown Louisville, the University of Louisville campus, St. Matthews, and Shively. Shively police report that nearly every street in Shively is closed due to flooding and/or ponding.
St. Matthews area residents report flooding on Shelbyville Road at I-64 and by both Oxmoor and St. Matthews Malls, a highly trafficked area in St. Matthews.
The Mayor’s office reports That I-65 North into Downtown is closed in at least 2 locations: @ Arthur Street and @ Grade Lane. A spokesperson for the Mayor’s office says that almost all viaducts in the city have been barricaded: Please do not try to go around them. They also note that many water rescues have been made within the 1 hour the storm has been over the city. One is currently going on at this time. Luckily there are no natural gas issues at this time – LG&E confirms this statement.
The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) have received more than 1,500 calls in 1 hour, asking that they respond to an emergency. They are currently running 25 calls in the rear and ask that those involved in minor traffic accidents do not call LMPD to report them unless there is an injury.
Shelters will be open this evening for those displaced by the storm.
Louisville Flooding Power Outages:
Duke Energy, servicing Southern Indiana, has reported that more than 4,000 households are without power, only 1 hour into the storm. Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) is not reporting an official number of outages at this time, as they are constantly changing, but they do report that there are a number of blown transformers across the city that are being addressed.
If you experience a power outage or see downed power lines, please call:
Duke Energy (Southern Indiana): 1 (800) 343-3525
Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E): 1 (502) 589-3500
Clark County REMC: 1 (866) 480-REMC (7362)
Several LG&E servicing centers and mainframes and MSD headquarters are without power and running on generator power. LG&E is still in the assessment stage and does not have an estimated time for restoring power. Many outages are expected to continue into tomorrow. LG&E is bringing in outside crews to help with the restoration of power to those who are without.
Louisville Flooding Floating Manhole Covers:
Metro Sewer District (MSD) reports that due to the massive amounts of water going through the city’s sewer system numerous man hole covers are missing and water is gushing from the open holes at a high rate of speed.
Local authorities warn Louisville residents not to walk through water, not only because of the sewage that may be contaminating it, but because there is a chance you may fall into a hole, should a manhole be missing.
If you see missing or floating manhole covers, please report these to MSD. There is not currently a boil-water advisory, but stay tuned to local television and radio stations for up-to-the-minute reporting on that.
MSD: 1 (502) 587-0603
The University of Louisville, an area synonymous with flooding, is experiencing ponding water in excess of 13 feet. The entire West side of the campus is currently barricaded and the evacuation of students living in dorms is being considered. All scheduled classes for today have been canceled.
The City of New Albany in Southern Indiana asks that all residents stay put until we know more about what the storm is going to do. Louisville is not currently asking residents to stay put, but asking them to use extreme caution when getting out, and asking them NOT to go out if at all possible.
This is the worst flooding in Louisville, Kentucky since the flood of 1997 when 11 inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period. The current Louisville storm is classified as a “Flash Flood” since more than 3″ – 6″ of rain has fallen in 1 – 24 hour period.
Compounding the problem is the fear that additional rain will be coming through the city at 2:30 PM with potential for intense rain, upwards of 4 inches, and wind speed in excess of 50 MPH.
More information to come.
