Southern Indiana town braces for Ohio River flood threat

UTICA, Ind. (AP) - Emergency management officials in a flood-prone southern Indiana town are filling sandbags as the Ohio River continues rising following recent heavy rains and forecasts of more to come.

Utica emergency manager Curtis Wells tells the News and Tribune that about 1,000 sandbags were available for residents by Monday afternoon at Utica's town hall.

He says the rising river was causing anxiety for Utica residents. Flooding a year ago damaged about 100 homes in the town just northeast of Louisville, Kentucky

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning along Indiana's length of the Ohio River.

At the McAlpine Upper gauge near Utica, the river stood at 24.2 feet (7.4 meters) Tuesday morning, about a foot (30 centimeters) above flood stage. Moderate to heavy rainfall was forecast for the area Tuesday.

City crews in Bloomington are working to repair streets damaged last week by storms and flooding and recent freeze-thaw cycles.

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com