A two-year-old girl, identified as Alayna, was found drowning in the basement of her Rush County home during severe flooding in Indiana, but has since shown signs of recovery. Her mother found her trapped in the rapidly rising water, prompting her 13-year-old brother to call 911 while their mother administered CPR.
Emergency responders faced challenges reaching the home due to the high floodwaters. A local farmer used a tractor to transport emergency personnel to the scene. Alayna was airlifted to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). She was initially placed on a ventilator and later had an EEG monitor removed after showing no seizure activity. Alayna developed a bacterial infection in her lungs but began breathing on her own by Sunday, according to updates shared by her aunt on a GoFundMe page.
Her family reported that Alayna has successfully completed breathing trials, including one where she breathed unassisted for 31 minutes. She has been taken off the ventilator, and her oxygen levels are rising. Her family expressed gratitude for hearing her cry, a sound they once feared they might not hear again. Despite her improvement, she is still being treated for a fever likely linked to her lung infection, and her family acknowledges a long recovery ahead.
As of Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe page had raised over $12,000 to assist with Alayna's medical expenses.
The floods have resulted in at least seven confirmed deaths across the state. Among the deceased are Matthew Morey, 18, who went missing after jumping into the Mississinewa River with a group; Stephanie Jo Sallee, 58, who was swept away with her dog Faith while driving through moving water; and James Briar, 31, who was killed when a collapsed road gave way as he rode his bicycle over flooded barricades.
Additionally, a four-year-old boy died after a tree fell on him, and a woman was struck and killed by debris from a collapsing roof. The identities of two other female victims have not yet been released. Search efforts for Morey were suspended due to dangerous conditions during the widespread flooding. Authorities believe Sallee attempted to exit her vehicle after it was swept into a cornfield before succumbing to the moving water. Briar was confirmed to have ridden his bicycle around flood barricades onto a road that subsequently collapsed due to heavy rainfall.
