MANVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Flash flooding in southern Indiana over the weekend wreaked havoc on the small town of Manville, and now the community is trying to recover.
On Sunday, WDRB News showed images of the State Road 250 bridge over Indian Creek near Pleasant and Bennington in Switzerland County.
The bridge over Indian Creek damaged from flood damage. (Source: INDOT Southeast)
Several days later, it's still covered with tree limbs and debris. There’s now a blue water hose running across it, providing fresh drinking water for people in need.
Pictured: this image dated Sept. 7, 2022, shows the State Road 250 bridge over Indian Creek days after flash floods that caused extensive damage in Manville, Ind. (WDRB photo)
Bright sunshine in Manville on Wednesday was a stark contrast to the torrential downpours that stormed through the valleys over the weekend.
One person was killed in the flooding that swept away trees, bridges and other structures. Her body was found about five miles downstream from her house on East Brushy Fork Road.
The Imel family lost nearly everything in the flooding, and are now trying to pick up the pieces. Gary Imel told WDRB he was swept away by the fast-moving water as he tried to get to his farm equipment and livestock. He was carried about 100 yards before he managed to grab a tree.
"It's the worst I've ever seen and I'm over 60 years old," Imel said.
On Wednesday, still trying to clean up, his family worked to replace what was lost while accepting the situation.
"There’s nothing you can do about it," Imel said. "You just got to accept it and make the best out of it that you can and go on."
The Imels lost miles of fence on their land and thousands of dollars of hay. They’ve already spent thousands of dollars on repairs because there is no other option. He says that's just a drop in the bucket.
"That ain’t enough to do it," Imel said. "That’s just enough to get the cows from the pin that we’ve got them in back out here where they’ve got something to eat."
Four days after the floods moved through, there is still so much to be cleaned and fixed as the community tries to pick itself back up.
Meanwhile, Imel said he hopes it "doesn’t happen again for a long, long time — hopefully never."
Cellular service remains limited or non-existent in much of Manville, and the landlines that residents use were still down as of Wednesday afternoon.
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