Motorists rescued from flood water

Two young adults who attempted to drive through high water on Burkettsville-St. Henry Road and became stranded were rescued by Celina firefighters early Saturday morning.

Celina Fire Lt. Chris Cline said the pair became stuck on the bridge over Beaver Creek around 2 a.m. and called for help. Firefighters were able to get them to dry land without injury, Cline said.

As flood waters begin to recede, he urged motorists to not drive through high water as "you don't know how deep the water is and what is underneath you."

In Celina, U.S. 127 from the south side of the city to State Route 274 has been reopened and Mercer County Emergency Management Agency director Mike Robins said Sunday most roads should be drivable by this afternoon.

Owners of the recently opened Grand Lakeside Pub and Catering had to use a kayak to reach the entrance of the restaurant at 6301 U.S. 127, the site of the former Breakaway RecPlex.

Inside, four feet of water has caused an undetermined amount of the damage to the large property, owner Ken Jutte said.

"I haven't weighed through it yet," Jutte said. "I'm gonna have to wait to see what the next step is going to be.".

This is not the first time the property has been damaged by flooding, Jutte said. Sixteen years ago, Beaver Creek swollen with water from Grand Lake overflowed and caused extensive damage to the first floor.

Flood waters reached levels in Montezuma not seen in more than a decade, fire chief Lee Braun said Sunday.

"As of now the, water has receded quite a bit and everybody is starting to get in cleanup mode," he added.

Multiple residents are still dealing with flooded crawl spaces and water reached the main level of four homes, he said.

More than 40 volunteers joined Montezuma firefighters at the fire station Friday to help fill more than 1,500 sandbags to keep flood waters at bay.

Resident Ed Davis was filling up bags Saturday afternoon and said eight inches of water had entered his crawl space and heating system at his residence in the 5400 block of Karafit Road. Multiple homes and mobile home trailers in the same area also are flooded.

Dean Dearth said his property at the Woodhaven Mobile Home Park on Karafit Road was lucky to escape flooding from a nearby channel. Dearth said he helped one neighbor move furniture and helped another down the road who is staying at a hotel.

Local weatherman Dennis Howick predicted more rain today and Tuesday.