Indianapolis Public Works plans convoy for all-day flood debris removal

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Department of Public Works crews will lead a full day of flood cleanup starting shortly after sunrise Saturday at Broad Ripple Park to help neighborhoods hit by recent historic flooding.

Public Works’ solid waste and operations crews will work in the Ravenswood and River Park neighborhoods, as well as the town of Rocky Ripple. Specialized trucks will patrol the neighborhoods to pick up debris. Packer trucks will be used for smaller items, boom trucks for large items, and roll-off trucks to replace full dumpsters.

City officials asked residents who cannot get large debris to dumpsters already in the neighborhoods to place items at the curb. Crews will collect those items throughout the day.

At 7:30 a.m., a convoy of more than 20 vehicles will head to the cleanup sites from Broad Ripple Park. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers will escort the convoy.

Vincent E. Gartin Sr., president of AFSCME Local 725, and Kaylee Pruitt, the Public Works administrator of solid waste, will join the crews during the effort.

Cleanup work was scheduled to happen at the following locations:

• Ravenswood: Riverwood Park, 7200 Crittenden Ave.
• Town of Rocky Ripple: Rocky Ripple Town Hall, 930 W. 54th St.
• River Park: The intersections of 80th Street and Keystone Avenue, 78th Street and Temple Avenue, and 79th Street and White River Drive.

Indianapolis and central Indiana experienced the worst flooding in decades, driven by heavy rains that started Aug. 11. The White River peaked in Noblesville at 24.6 feet, breaking a record set in 1913. The river peaked at 20 feet in the Nora and Broad Ripple areas, the highest in about 30 years.

The storms also left hundreds of thousands without power in Northwest Indiana, with tens of thousands remaining without power a week later.

Indiana is seeking a major disaster declaration to obtain federal recovery funds.

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