Teen football star & beloved great grandmother among six killed as ‘once in a lifetime’ floods rage through Indiana
A TEENAGE football star and a beloved great-grandmother have been identified as the first victims of raging floods that swept through Indiana.
At least six people have been found dead and many are missing after storms lashed parts of the state creating a “once-in-a-lifetime” disaster.
Matthew Morey, 19, was pulled from the Mississinewa River on Saturday, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said, after he was reported missing near Muncie on Wednesday.
He and a group of friends had jumped into the swollen river for an unknown reason, officials said, and while his three pals were pulled to safety, Morey remained missing.
The search for him was suspended on Thursday due to dangerous weather conditions as his desperate mom begged for help.
“I’m hurt and I need som ehelp, and so we’re not there and I can’t get there,” she tearfully told NBC News on Friday as historic floods and strong currents hampered rescue efforts and blocked roads.
“I can’t get to him because there’s no – I can’t get in a boat. If I had a boat, I swear to God I’d be in that water…My hope is that he’s still alive.”
Morey was reportedly due to attend Purdue University on Monday to study engineering after he graduated from Delta High School this summer.
He played for the Delta Eagles football team, the Eagles basketball team, and the Delta Baseball Boosters.
“We are heartbroken for the Morey family and so deeply sorry for the loss of their son, Matthew,” the baseball team wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“Matthew chose basketball and football in high school, but we know he always loved playing baseball too.
“How lucky were these boys to get to share so much time in the dirt with him.
“Our thoughts, prayers, and love are with the entire Morey family and all who had the privilege of knowing Matthew during this incredibly difficult time. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.”
The Delta Eagles football team praised Matthew for “being a great role model, teammate, and friend.”
“You will forever be in our hearts. With football season about to start, we know you will be looking down and cheering on your teammates.”
Great-grandmother Stephanie Jo Sallee, 58, has also been identified as one of those who died in the floods after she was found in a cornfield in Yorktown on Friday with her beloved dog.
“She had a heart for others. She never judged people. She persevered many trials in her life and remained a compassionate and loving person,” her family told WRTV.
Other victims include a four-year-old boy and two unidentified women.
Meanwhile, rescue teams have so far saved at least 95 people from surging floodwaters after a state of emergency was declared by the mayor on Friday when creeks and streams burst their banks.
The White River rose to a peak of 24ft in Anderson and Noblesville, marking a new record since 1913.
Residents across over a dozen counties were trapped in their homes, caught in floodwaters, and swept away as they tried to flee.
Footage shows some properties catching fire as power lines were downed.
Over 350 people were evacuated in Delaware County including a senior mobile home community.
Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, said it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” flood disaster in which over 11 inches of rain fell in 48 hours.
An emergency declaration was granted for the battered state by President Donald Trump, triggering a federal disaster response.
Flood warnings are still in effect across parts of the state.
