At least five people have died and hundreds have been rescued after severe storms and record-breaking flooding struck Indiana, a Midwestern US state, over the course of a week. Emergency workers have used boats to pull stranded residents from inundated homes, while more than a dozen counties have declared local disasters. Governor Mike Braun confirmed on Saturday that President Donald Trump intends to approve a presidential emergency declaration, unlocking greater federal resources for the response and recovery effort.

The flooding has been driven by extraordinary rainfall — more than 280mm (11 inches) in just two days in some areas — causing rivers to surge to historic levels. The White River, which runs through Indianapolis, the state capital, crested at more than 7.3 metres (24 feet) in the communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records that had stood since 1913. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett described the situation as the city's worst flooding in over 30 years, while Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, called it