County 30: Johnson

Some of my lowest days as lieutenant governor were in the summer of 2008, when much of Indiana was rocked by severe flooding. I spent days traveling the state to view the damage and thank volunteers who came out to help their neighbors. That year, disasters were declared in 82 of our 92 counties.

Hoosier in the town of Princes Lakes greet the
Lt. Governor as she tours the new dam project.

But as is typical with this administration, we sprung into action, securing millions in disaster relief funding that our state agencies have distributed to help with recovery.

I visited one such project on my stop in Johnson County on January 6. There, in the town of Princes Lakes, I viewed progress on the East Lake Dam. The East Lake Dam is a $1.75 million project that was part of our state’s $25 million investment to for dams and levees that failed during the 2008 storms.

Dams and levees aren’t projects we have to think a lot about in many parts of Indiana, but the importance cannot be overlooked. Complete failure of the East Lake Dam could have caused any number of problems, from bridges being wiped out leaving homeowners stranded, to flooded lift stations releasing sewage into receiving streams. The compromised dam at East Lake had also contributed to a 30% drop in home values in the area.

By steering federal disaster relief funds toward this and other similar projects, we are creating economic activity, and preserving parts of Indiana for decades to come.