Communities Clean Up After Devastating Floods

WFYI Podcasts are brought to you by PNC Bank's Grow Up Great, dedicated to inspiring great futures for young children since 2004. PNC Bank National Association member FDIC. WFYI Podcasts are brought to you by Leaf Software Solutions, offering production grade AI. Leaf AI Studio delivers through subscription-based engagements. More at Leaf Software Solutions.com. After the floods, state and local response. Indiana GOP backs a new leader, and Braun celebrates a year of school choice. From the television studios at WFYI Public Media, it's Indiana Weekend Review for the weekending August 21st, 2026. Indiana Weekend Review is produced by WFYI, an association with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations. Additional support is provided by Parr Richie. Communities across the state are cleaning up after devastating floods and storms hit Indiana. An estimate on how much damage was sustained has not been given, but more than 1,000 people were displaced from their homes and some cities experienced significant damage to infrastructure. Caroline Beck has more on the response from Indiana Mike. Indiana Governor Mike Braun following the floods. Governor Braun is requesting a federal disaster declaration through FEMA to help pay for things like individual assistance and hazard mitigation. Braun says the state is collecting data on the total damage right now and hopes to hear back from FEMA in the next 10 days. It'll be as quickly as it can get done. It takes a while to compile all that. And we've got a good relationship with the administration. So I think we'll be in a place to where we will know how to expedite it. We've got to see what it is and we go from there. Homeowners can submit damage reports and request temporary help, including housing assistance with the state. So how successful has the state and local response been? It's the first question for our Indiana Week and Review panel. Democrat, Laura Beck. Republican, Joey Fox. O'Shea Boyd, editor-in-chief at Mirror Indy. And Leslie Bonilla Munoz, reporter at Indiana Capital Chronicle. I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI. So, Laura, how do you think the state's been handling the response after this devastating natural disaster? Well, I think the state has really been doing the best job they can, and I think they have done a really remarkable job, because when you think about it, we didn't just have the flooding, we had all of the terrible rains, we had the power outages, we've had really some unprecedented weather events, and I think we're going to continue to see those as we continue to go further with climate change. So I think the initial response has been really good.

been some good communications, with the exception of NIPSCO, in terms of making sure, yeah, in terms of that, I think my biggest concern now is what's next. We are now looking at massive amounts of federal aid that we're going to need, and you've got the Trump administration saying, yeah, states may have to pay for that. And you also have local response agencies on the ground in municipalities. And all of these local governments are dealing with the effects of Senate and World Act 1. So they have less money to work with. That's less public works people they have to clear out the streets and just clear out the storm drains. Joey's making a face at me. I can see you out of the corner of my eye, Joey. So I think it really does put a strain on local governments, and that to me is a really concerning impact, especially as they're heading into budget season. Well, and also the governor is filing for a major disaster. declaration. The state's sort of waiting on that to see whether or not we'll be able to get that and that would provide more funding and the governor said he feels confident in his relationship with the White House and that that may come through for Indiana. I expect that it will. This governor is very close with the president. I expect that that declaration will go in. Laura's point about local government though I think is interesting because you had two displays of Republican competence and Democrat incompetence. If you look just north in Hamilton County. The body isn't even cool. You had, in just north in Hamilton County, Mayor Sue Fincom built a dam in the middle of a flood. Chris Jensen Huang's been doing an amazing job up in Noblesville. And then you had the lack of communication here in a Democrat-controlled city in Indianapolis with Joe Hogsett. I think the state response, and you've seen some really competent response, I think Cousier should be pretty proud so far, but we've got a long way to go. certainly praying for everybody that's, you know, someone's still without power and, you know, folks that are going to have to replace their, rebuild their lives. It's hard to believe it's just been just over a week, actually. It was Tuesday that the major storms hit northwest Indiana. We have heard a little criticism here in the capital city about response, mostly in the form of communication. Have you heard that as well, Losham? Yeah, it seems like the communication was not quite where it needed to be. And so I think what's going to have to happen for, Indianapolis is they're going to have to revisit what happened and how to what What can we do better? Because this was unprecedented. I know there are areas of the city that are used to flooding, but a lot of this was never seen historic levels before. And so so many people don't have flood insurance. We don't need flood insurance, we've been told, but now I have to reconsider that. I think in Gary, there's the NIPSCO issue. So there's communication with NIPSCO, not doing a good enough job, as well as the optics. There are optics that looks like, oh, in the city that has a predominantly black community, you're not communicating well with people. And it'll be coming up on two weeks, I think, really soon. Without power, what does that mean? And when you have transformers that are down, what does that mean when you, like, it's not just electricity, it is actually transformed, not power lines. So does that mean they have to be rebuilt? So I think there could be better communication.

just so people know what they need to do and where they need to go when you have people that have health issues that need. electricity for oxygen or other machines that you know what what happens to those people happens to food you know where then where do you go get more food so there's a lot of issues that we will have to reconsider and revisit especially we're going to have more of these which just sounds like we will i mean leslie we would not heard an official number but we can only imagine that it's well into the billions of dollars and damage that the state and cities and personal property has been sustained here. But we did see the governor quickly put into place housing vouchers and you know $5,000 for families that are impacted. Do you think this has made a difference as we've you know come a week into this disaster? I think it was really promising how quickly they were able to make those announcements and open that up to applications but we don't know yet how effective that has been like how quickly that aid can move out to people and the kind of success rate that we're seeing there because you do need to provide evidence documents that might be difficult for people so i think that's another thing that we're going to have to follow up on and see how How much are they able to deliver on this help? Help is only helpful when it actually gets to the people that need it. So that's definitely something that. The state using 211 as well, you know, which is a really important tool for anybody that needs services, social services, and also to assess the amount. 211's important, and I think you've also seen too. I mean, I even noticed Raphael Sanchez, who we all know from Fox, who's a friend of many of us, and he was even on social media talking about, here's what you need to do, here's what you need to know. So I think a lot of people are really using different ways to connect. Going back to the local, going back to communications, though, one of the things I think is local elected officials are often at the very ground level. And the Friday night of the flooding, I noticed on Instagram, Counselor Jay Jones, Kristen Jay Jones, John Barth, and Briand Delaney, were going door to door in the dark in Rocky Ripple, communicating with people and talking with people. And I think that's where you really see. public servants at their best and the three of them really you know got their got their colleagues together and and really did some great work over the weekend yeah the city county council you did mention though the infrastructure work in hamilton county and it has been um pretty remarkable to see that type of response that she built a dam in the middle of a flood they were told that there was nothing you could do and in fact you know um

It's a little whews your ingenuity. Who's your ingenuity? Maybe some Purdue grads. And some Purdue grads, yes. Well, a lot of work still for a lot of communities. It's time now for viewer feedback. Every week we pose an unscientific online poll question. This week's question, has the state's response to the floods been adequate? Vote yes or no? The last question posed to viewers, is the state on the right track with standardized testing methods? This was exactly the same respondents here, 50% saying yes and 50% saying no. If you would like to take part in the poll, go to WFY.org slash IWIR and look for the poll. WFYI Podcasts are brought to you by Leaf Software Solutions, offering production grade AI. Leaf AI Studio delivers through subscription-based engagements. More at Leaf Software Solutions.com. Leadership of the Indiana Senate continues to solidify around one of redistricting's strongest supporters. Ben Thorpe reports Senate Republicans have endorsed Senator Chris Garten for the position of pro tem, likely handing him leadership. of the Indiana Senate. Garden gained national attention in December after making a spirited defense of redistricting on the Senate floor. Some will say these maps are political. Let me be clear. You're damn right they are. Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray, who opposed redistricting, recently announced he would step down. Garten won't be officially taking up the role until after the November election. In a statement, Garten said he would bring, quote, unapologetic conservatism, decisive action, and absolute transparency to the Indiana State House. So, Joey, is it a surprise that, you know, no one else sort of threw their hat in the ring for this position? I don't think so. I think that this makes a lot of political sense. You have had, it's been about a year. of since the president started to call for redistricting, we got through, through December, we had the legislative session, we had the primaries, right? And the president's candidates were much more successful. In that, you have now a new caucus. You've lost, I think, five committee chairs that are there. I think what the Senate Republicans think they needed was... a solid foundation to go into this campaign season, into the fall. And Senator Garten had thrown his hat into the ring first and had tried to build a coalition, and he was clearly successful in doing that. It's a new day in the Indiana Senate. I mean, certainly it will not be boring, all of us watching the legislature next year, Laura. But he brings up redistricting where, you know,

firing squads come up. You know, that was one of his previous, previously authored bills. Maybe we'll see more of that. But I feel like it's kind of going to be the same. You know, it's been Republicans and it's going to stay Republicans. Other than redistricting, they've been voting in step a lot. Well, it will be interesting. Indiana spends close to 500 million in taxpayer funds to help families afford tuition at private or religious schools. Caroline Beck reports on how this school year is the first time all students in the state qualify for a voucher. To get a voucher, previously students had to meet certain income requirements or be leaving the public school system for private school. Last year, state lawmakers removed all requirements, making Indiana's voucher program one of the most expansive in the country. Governor Mike Braun says when it comes to continuing school choice in Indiana, he wants to fund what works. Remember, more isn't always going to be the answer. Actually, those entities that are most successful find out how to do things better, and they get by with less and do more. Opponents of the vouchers say it's now a subsidy for wealthy families already paying full tuition and diverts needed funding away from public schools. So, O'Shea, do you think it's time to celebrate school choice in Indiana? Well, the governor definitely is. I think he was at what Cardinal Riddle yesterday celebrating. So, yeah, so for those families, I don't begrudge any family for trying to choose what is the best place to educate their children. I think... That is a personal decision. And as a parent who's had a child in private and a child in public, I think that's something that you can do for your children. But I will say that this idea that it is universal now, we are still talking about a lot of rural places in the state don't have choice. There's not schools for them to send their kids to. And also, it covers tuition and some fees. But does it cover full tuition? Depends on the school you are choosing it also. There's no transportation for a lot of private schools. So how do you get your child to private school, especially if you live in a rural place that doesn't have one, doesn't have a private school? So I think there's a lot of, while there's, it's a great thing to tout, but there are still a lot of people who can't access it. And part of why charter schools came was to kind of give that public, that private school feel. for public school students. So what happens to charter schools, especially now that we have more and more charter schools and we have so many schools have referendums on the ballot because they need money. So all these things work.

they'll play a role in how public schools are affected and who can actually use the vouchers. Well, you know, the voucher system was started in Indiana and 2011, I believe, as a way to reach more low-income children to give them different options and it's evolved in the state throughout the years and now available to everyone. But the numbers show that not necessarily... it's reaching everyone. I mean, what have you seen as far as school choice and how it's involved in the state, Leslie? Right. I think to what Oshria mentioned where people in rural areas don't necessarily have those options as well as low-income families that do have private schools like geographically available to them but cannot afford the rest of the payment that the voucher doesn't cover, I think there is a question about whether you know, it's serving its original intended purpose. But I think the other question is, is that the state's job to try and fill in that gap with transportation and, you know, even trying to fill in what, like, beyond what the voucher can pay for? Because... Then we're talking about even greater state investment into this program. It's a topic of discussion during every budget session, obviously. And I just think it'll be interesting to see where they go from here because we've identified problems even now with this program, but I think they also need to balance what the state can. you know, afford sustainably for the long run. Yeah, and we heard from the governor during his avail this week that, you know, this school choice is not necessarily a priority issue for him this week. But as O'Shea mentioned, you know, a lot of times these vouchers do not cover the whole cost and can be, they're obviously a benefit to families, but still families might not have full choice. Yeah, they may not. And I think also, too, we also have to take into account, yes, you cut my favorite topic, Senate enrolled Act 1, because so much money is being taken away with the property taxes and that supposed property tax relief, people are going to end up paying for more for the schools based on the referendums. So we have a record number of referendums. Not only are you you may have to pay extra for those additional costs with your vouchers, but if you live in one of the 38 communities, it has a referendum and it passes, then you're going to be paying more for that. So it is putting pressure, it is putting pressure on some school districts, particularly because they've got to raise the money to cover operating expenses. And then we've seen, you know, here in Indianapolis, the way that this has kind of played out, it has been... A different story than many rural parts of the state, but Indianapolis leaders had a bill last year and now had to change their entire structure. Could we see this happening in other?

other communities as a result of the school choice of the voucher changes? If their schools are as bad as IPS, then I would hope it would. And they get a chance to improve. I mean, I think some of the last numbers are something like 13% of kids are passing both the math and English portion of the test in the Indianapolis public schools. That's insanity for the future of this city. I do love the conversation that we've had today, though, because the... the school choice conversation has come so far. We're sitting at this table debating whether or not we went far enough in school choice. Oh man, should we cover the whole thing just in case if the voucher doesn't go? Ten years ago, Laura and I sitting in the seat would have been having a very different conversation. Lunging at each other. Right here. But I think the state and I think Hoosiers have come to the point now where the money needs to follow the kid. and not support systems that can be broken. The referendum system helps with the operational piece if you have a local community that wants to invest in that. But I think this is incredible progress and hopefully we will see. test results and outcomes for kids improve as a result of it. Certainly the conversation has evolved. Yeah, I mean, the conversation has definitely evolved, but I mean, I think back to many, many moons ago, I mean, I worked for Mayor Peterson, and he was the first mayor to have the authority to charter schools. And so watching this whole process as it goes, I think it's, it is really hard, it is a hard discussion because it also involves kids and it involves education. And especially when you are a parent, that those decisions are just so incredibly important. And it is a community decision as well in a community conversation. And people get really emotional and angry and attached. And I think it's a sign that we really care about it. But it also is, sometimes we also have to. to take the temperature down and think a little bit more rationally about it. Difficult it is. Too bad discussion of, did we go far enough? It's not necessarily that I'm like, we didn't or we did. It's more that realistically, I'm looking towards like, what are those conversations at the State House going to be? Because whenever you start on a path, people are always looking then to make improvements to what they've been working on. And so I just feel like, even if that isn't a priority this year, I definitely feel like we are going to see those conversations about trying to fix these problems people are experiencing with the program. And things always expand. Once you start on something, it always gets bigger. Money, there's gonna be talk, a lot of talk about money. For education. Always. Always. I think anyone who's ever had as a parent is, as you said, you know, you had one child go to private school, one child go to public. It's not one size fits all. And I think that that's something, especially as we are moving into this AI age and how we are even educating kids. I mean, I think we're going to see that change even more. So we have to be creative as much as possible.

Also this week, Indiana doctors are now allowed to point pregnant minors to out-of-state abortion services without fear of retribution. The ruling this week from U.S. appeals court finds factual information about abortions, including referrals, is protected by the First Amendment. Ben Thorpe has more. The court ruled on a 2017 state law requiring that doctors receive parental consent before discussing abortion options with a minor. Portions of that law stayed in limbo even after the passage of the state's near total abortion ban. Colleen McNicholas is with Planned Parenthood. She says the decision reassures doctors that they can talk about abortion services. And in this case, it is for minors who are just seeking information about how to access abortion care, even if they can't get it in the state lines. Doctors cannot tell patients how to get abortion drugs through the mail, but can point to states where abortion services are legal. The Indiana Attorney General's office did not respond to a request for comment. So Leslie, do you think this is a consequential ruling at all here in Indiana? I would say yes. This is a ruling 10 years than making the lawsuits from 2017, and it's taken about this long to, you know, reach this point. I think it's even more significant after the passage of the Indiana abortion ban, which outlaws abortions in most cases with limited exceptions. Because now, it's in... Very, very likely that if you want to obtain this procedure, you have to go out of state. You cannot have it done here. And the plaintiff in this case was Planned Parenthood. They cannot perform any abortions in Indiana. Only hospitals can do so when you meet that limited exception. So I think this is a big deal for them because... This is one of the few things they can do for people who are in this position. Specifically, in this case, it's about providing information to pregnant minors. So this is one of the few things they can do for children who find themselves in this situation. in other than like I think they sometimes provide money for like transport out of state but I think that's why it's so significant is that their actions here are pretty limited well I'd love to weigh in real quick Lara I mean you know this was based on first amendment you know for freedom of speech yeah but I also think too if we just take a step back from a real practical standpoint a pregnant minor is a very digitally savvy person. And so they will likely go to AI or to, you know, yes. And so having a trusted doctor who they can at least talk to or having a trusted provider gives them much more resources than just even isolating them even more in a challenging time. Well, make a difference. Well, that is Indiana Week in Review for this week. Our panel has been Democrat Laura Beck. Republican, Joey Fox.

O'Shea Boyd, editor-in-chief at Mirror Indy, and Leslie Bonilla Munoz, reporter at Indiana Capital Chronicle. You can find Indiana Weekend Review's podcast and episodes at WFY.org slash IWIR or on the PBS app. I'm Jill Sheridan, managing editor at WFYI. Join us next time because a lot can happen in an Indiana week. The views expressed are solely those of the panelists. Indiana-Macon Review is produced by WFYI, an association with Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations. Additional support is provided by Parr-Ritchie. WFYI Podcasts are brought to you by PNC Banks Grow Up Great, dedicated to inspiring great futures for young children since 2004. PNC Bank National Association member FDIC.