Indiana is digging out from its worst flooding disaster in decades after days of relentless rain sent the White River surging past a flood record that had stood since 1913, killing at least seven people and forcing hundreds of evacuations across the state.

The river exceeded 24 feet at both Anderson and Noblesville over the weekend, blowing past the previous high-water mark of 23.8 feet set more than a century ago, according to gauge readings reported by Tech Times. The rain, which began pounding the state on Aug. 11, has been described by forecasters as a 1-in-1,000-year event.

A rising toll

The death toll has climbed steadily since the storms arrived. Victims include a 4-year-old boy killed when a tree crashed through his bedroom, 19-year-old Matthew Morey, who was swept into the Mississinewa River, and 31-year-old cyclist James Briar, found in a collapsed road in Henry County, according to NBC News. At least seven deaths have now been confirmed statewide.

More than 350 evacuations have been carried out, including at a senior mobile home community north of Indianapolis, and hundreds of homes along the White River and its canals have been cleared out as water rescue teams worked through the weekend.

"THE WORST THE CITY HAS SEEN IN MORE THAN 30 YEARS."

That's how Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett described the flooding in the state capital, where the swollen White River has swamped low-lying neighborhoods and closed roads throughout the city.

Gov. Mike Braun has declared a disaster emergency for 18 counties, and President Trump approved Braun's request for a federal emergency declaration on Saturday, freeing up initial disaster-response resources and clearing the way for a broader federal assistance request, per CBS News.

What's next

Rivers across central Indiana are expected to remain at or near record levels into the coming days even as rain tapers off, with emergency officials warning residents in flood-prone areas not to return home until waters recede and roads are cleared of debris. State officials say the full scope of damage — and the additional recovery aid it will require — won't be clear until the water fully recedes across the hardest-hit counties.