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Oftentimes, we’re asked by friends, family members and readers, “So what’s the most interesting story you’ve ever covered?”
The answer always is the same: An event that began unfolding in Bluffton, Wells County and northeast Indiana almost five years ago today that will always stand out in my memory.
Many have called it a 100-year flood. In fact, it’s the second-worst flood in Bluffton’s history: the Flood of 2003.
It all started July 4, 2003, a Friday, when 4 inches of rain fell in Bluffton. I was supposed to work that night to cover Bluffton’s annual July Fourth celebration, but my assignment was about to change.
I was at my grandparent’s house when the strong line of thunderstorms passed through Bluffton shortly before 6 p.m. with damaging winds. I waited out the storm and then rushed to The News-Banner, where Jim Barbieri was working the desk.
Jim and I were the only two news reporters on that night, and he immediately began planning our coverage for Saturday’s paper. Neither of us knew at the time just how bad things would get over the next few days.
“I’ll take care of the general story about the rainfall and the city’s fire works being canceled. Let’s have you get some pictures and head out to Liberty Center because a tornado may have touched down. See what you can find out.”
After finding where the apparent tornado touched down and interviewing a few people, I rushed back to the office to get out the pictures and write a short story. Jim then asked me to go to the police-fire building to see what I could find out.
“The mayor is over there. See what he can tell you.”
When I arrived around 11 p.m., dispatchers had received about 2,400 calls since the storms began, and they were still coming in. Mayor Ellis was there and getting ready to go to the Wastewater Plant with superintendent Bob Mohler. He asked if I wanted to ride along.
“Sure, but I need to be back around 11:30 to write this up for Jim,” I told the mayor, who responded, “No problem.”
When I arrived, I couldn’t believe how much water was standing. In fact, Mohler, who back then had been working for the city for nearly 40 years, said he had never seen this much water before.
We got the paper out that night, a little late, but full of the latest information. Still, we had no idea just how bad things were going to get the coming week.
That following day, Saturday, July 5, the Wabash began to rise. Another 5 inches fell Saturday and about 1⁄3-inch was recorded Sunday. By Monday, the river had climbed to 15.45 feet. It would be two more long days before it reached its peak at 18.3 feet. By then, 12.70 inches of rain had fallen in the city.
We all saw water where we had never seen it before: inside homes and businesses, where streets and yards used to sit, inside vehicles and almost every place in-between.
I don’t recall a busier time at the newspaper than that July week. Congressman Mike Pence came to town July 11 to assess the damage, and I was able to join him and several others from here to go up in a Blackhawk helicopter to assess the damage to Adams and Wells counties. It wasn’t until then that I fully realized how severe the damage was to our area. So many people lost nearly everything they had, but their spirits remained optimistic despite the chaos.
While the water and property damage that occurred throughout the area were cleasrly memorable, what stands out most in my memory is how this community came together to help those in need. This community filled more than 250,000 sand bags and worked for days straight to aid others.
I’ll never forget a picture I took that week, probably the best photo I have ever snapped that I thought spoke volumes about Wells County. I wandered down to the parking lot across from City Hall, where more than 100 residents and even some inmates were sandbagging. In the middle of the crowd was a little boy, who was then 8 years old, working next to some inmates and his mother. Little Damon Kuhlenbeck, who today would be about 13, was lifting sandbags that probably weighed just as much if not more than he did, into a large pile to be delivered to different spots across the city. His picture that day told the story better than anything I could write.
It’s hard to believe that almost five years have passed since the Flood of 2003 caused havoc across the county. Our hearts went out to everyone affected by the flood five years ago and we still wish today it’s a story we never would have had to tell because of the loss of a life, property and countless keepsakes. At the same time, it’s comforting to know that when the next big disaster strikes in Wells County, the community will come together to support each other.
That’s just the way we do things in Bluffton and Wells County. What a place to live.
by JUSTIN PEEPER
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Listed below are answers to the Progress Edition quiz that we included at the bottom of last week’s column.
1. Mike Row
2. Mike Kracium
3. WOW - Wells on Wheels
4. Annex building (old library)
5. CEDIT
6. Skate park
7. Alpaca
8. Neil Potter
9. Jim Phillabaum
10. Wayne Barker
11. IMI Stone Quarry
12. Bruce Holland
13. A Harvest of Health
14. McDonalds
15. Norwell High School
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