Sunday January 25, 2026
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SubscribeLouisville Metro Emergency Services provided this update today on the heavy rains and potential for flash flooding in Louisville:
- MSD, our city’s Public Works and first responders remain in communication about the potential for flash flooding.
- The EOC was activated this morning to Level 1, which involves personnel monitoring the situation, and assisting with potential needs of agencies involved in the event. Key city officials are alerted to Level 1 status by text, which initiates a chain of communication among senior leadership, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
- With the National Weather Service predicting more heavy rain over the next two days, MetroSafe will continue to monitor conditions and activate the EOC as appropriate.
- Louisville Fire had only one rescue call today. A motorist attempted to drive through standing water, and their car stalled at Frankfort Avenue and Cable Street. The motorist was rescued.
- Since 6 a.m. Saturday through 4 p.m. today, MSD’s Call Center answered 437 customer calls.
- MSD has crews out in the community throughout any weather event, monitoring stormwater drainage channels and pipes, catch basins.
- Public Works also is patrolling roads to clear any clogged catch basins and reduce flooding. Public Works received two calls today; both related to clogged catch basins. Both were cleared.
- Public Works has crews on standby to place barricades if streets must be closed, and have ordered additional barricades to be used if needed.
- We encourage the media to continue to share our reminders to the public to stay away from pooling water and to “Turn Around. Don’t Drown.”
Next Steps
- The city’s Public Works’ Road division has inspected the city’s 32 viaducts and found that 17 of them are marked with signs advising motorists, “Do Not Enter When Flooded.” In other areas, those signs have been removed; the city is taking steps to replace those.
- Public Works also is working with MSD to identify the potential standing water depth in each of 32 viaducts in our community and then paint visible marks on each, as an additional warning to keep people from driving through during a heavy rain event.
- The city will use data from MSD, the National Weather Service, Louisville Fire and MetroSafe to project potential dangerous water conditions in the steepest and deepest viaducts and establish a mechanism to trigger visible warning lights to avoid entering flooded areas.
“Public safety is our No. 1 priority, and I am extremely confident in the commitment in the work of our police, fire and emergency management teams,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “It’s important that citizens be our partner in this mission, taking the steps they can to keep themselves and their families safe.”
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has appointed two new members to the Louisville Metro Board of Health. Both terms run to July 31, 2021.
Heidi Margulis is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Humana. In that capacity she guides the company’s community engagement and corporate social responsibility initiatives and has administrative oversight of the Humana Foundation. She also serves on the executive committee of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board and on the Louisville Promise Scholarship Board. Ms. Margulis has also served on the Advisory Committee on Regulatory Reform and on the Advisory Panel on Medicare Education for two U.S. Health and Human Services Secretaries.
Dr. Susie J. Riley is a dentist in private practice. She is the owner of Smile Center Professionals, Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. She also serves on the Kentucky Medicaid Advisory Committee, is past president of the Kentucky Dental Society and has served as the dental representative on the Passport Health Plan Partnership Council. Dr. Riley is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves Dental Corp and continues to participate in dental missions to such underserved countries as Haiti, Liberia and Ghana.
Ms. Margulis and Dr. Riley replace Connie Sorrel and Dr. Sherry Babbage. Mayor Fischer also reappointed Karen Cost, Margaret Handmaker and Kate Probst to the Board of Health. Their terms will run to July 31, 2021.
The Louisville Metro Board of Health acts as an independent voice to promote and protect equitable physical, mental, and environmental health in the Louisville community through advocacy, education, regulation, and collaboration with public and private entities.
The Louisville Loop downtown from the Belle of Louisville to the Big Four Bridge will be closed temporarily from Monday, September 24th to Friday, September 28th. The closure will be during working hours only.
During working hours, there will be a soft surface detour around the area of closure. Due to expected delays from rain events, the closure may be extended into the week of October 1st. If delays occur, the Loop WILL be open Saturday and Sunday.
If you have any questions, please call Public Works at (502) 574-5810.
The Louisville Orchestra Family Series is back by popular demand and the first concert of the series is a seasonal favorite, Halloween Spooktacular! On Saturday, October 20 at 11AM, Bob Bernhardt will lead families on a musical adventure filled with our favorite Halloween musical tricks and treats at the Brown Theatre.
Kiddos can dress in their Halloween best and be prepared for the chills and trills that await – such as the popular costume parade! Princesses and superheroes can bring their moms and dads early for thematic pre-concert activities that start at 10AM in the Brown Theatre lobby.
General admission tickets are $15* and available by calling 502.584.7777 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
LO Family Series ticket packages are still available and make the most out of your musical dollars! Get three Family Series concerts for the lowest possible prices: Adult packages are $41* and child packages are $21*. Call the LO Patron Services team at 502.587.8681 to take advantage of the best prices. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing at LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Designed for children ages 3-10 years old, these one-hour concerts entertain and educate the young, and the young at heart!
2018-2019 LO Family Series
- 10/20/2018 – Halloween Spooktacular!
- 11/24/2018 – Home For The Holidays
- 3/16/2019 – Carnival Of The Animals
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilman Brent T. Ackerson is extending an invitation to residents of District 26 to attend his Annual Town Hall meeting on Saturday morning, September 22nd in the cafeteria of Saint John Paul II Catholic Church (the former Saint Barnabas).
“This is a meeting to update everyone on what is going in the district,” says Ackerson.
The Councilman will open the meeting with remarks and introductions. Following that we will break out into small groups where citizens can speak directly with department representatives about their concerns.
Representatives of several agencies of Metro Government, including Louisville Metro Police, Public Works, Codes and Regulations, and others will be on hand to handle any questions or concerns.
The Town Hall will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Saint John Paul II Catholic Church is located at 3042 Hikes Lane. The entrance to the meeting hall is on the back side of the former school building.
“I want to take every opportunity to bring Metro Government to the district,” says Ackerson.
Coffee and donuts will be provided.
For more information, contact Councilman Ackerson’s office at 574-1126.
Brightside, Louisville’s organization for keeping the city clean and green through beautification and education, will be holding its 5th annual Brightside Bash presented by the Republic Bank Foundation from 6-9 p.m. on September 20 at The Louisville Palace (625 S. 4th Street).
First held in 2014, the Bash serves as a fundraiser for the Brightside Foundation, which works to ensure funding to allow Brightside to continue offering its many educational programs, sustainability initiatives and beautification projects across our community.
This year’s Bash will also include the second Brightside Awards, an opportunity for Brightside to thank their dedicated volunteers and business/corporate partners. Awards and winners include:
- Fred Wiche Volunteer of the Year Award: Jeff Miller
- Brightside One Bright City Award: McFerran One Mile Walkers Club
- Brightside Green Acorn Award for Outstanding Youth Leadership: Jack Leffert
- Mayor’s Brightside Award for Outstanding Corporate Engagement: Passport Health Plan
- Brightside One Bright Future Award: Jason Wohlgemuth
- Brightside’s Golden Broom Award: Metro Council President David James
The Brightside Bash is a fun evening filled with local bands, silent auctions, raffles and food. The emcee for the event will be WHAS11’s Kaitlynn Fish. Tickets for the Brightside Bash are $53 (includes tax).
Brightside has been a donor-funded, volunteer-fueled organization since 1986. As both a 501(c)3 and a government agency, it functions as a public/private partnership. The city covers a portion of its administrative expenses, but all programs are run entirely on privately donated dollars.
To purchase tickets and view descriptions of the Brightside Awards, please visit www.brightsideinc.org or call Brightside at 574-2613.
Louisville Metro Emergency Services, Louisville Fire Department (LFD) and Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) officials provided a briefing today about the city’s response to a 2-hour flash flooding event on Saturday, Sept. 8, including steps being taken to better educate the public about the dangers of flash flooding and to provide more warning for high-water incidents.
Louisville Metro Public Services Chief Doug Hamilton conveyed the city’s condolences to the family and friends of Abdinasir Siyat, a local taxi driver who drowned that night after driving his car into a flooded viaduct at 13th Street and West Oak.
“This is a tragedy, and we’re all saddened by Mr. Siyat’s death,” Chief Hamilton said, adding that some details of that incident cannot be released until a Louisville Metro Police Department death investigation is complete, in approximately 90 days.
Timeline of event
- Jody Meiman, executive director for Emergency Services, said the first call to MetroSafe 911 about Mr. Siyat came at 8:44 p.m. on Sept. 8 from his employer, Yellow Cab, which said he needed help, but was unable to provide his location. MetroSafe took Mr. Siyat’s number from Yellow Cab and unsuccessfully attempted to call him twice.
- Siyat called 911 himself, at 8:46 p.m., and told the dispatcher that he was at Dixie and Oak streets. MetroSafe dispatched Louisville Fire to Dixie and Oak; they arrived at 8:54 p.m. but found no one.
- At that same time, a passing motorist called to report a vehicle in the water at 13th and Oak. LFD was dispatched to that location, arriving at 8:56 p.m. to find a vehicle fully submerged. A swift water team entered the water at 9 p.m. but was unable to access the vehicle, and reported they could find no victims. They were cleared from the scene and sent to other rescue calls.
- Siyat was found unresponsive in his car at 10:47 p.m., after the floodwaters had receded.
Early weather reports for that weekend predicted a total of 2 to 3 inches of rain, which generally isn’t a problem for Louisville’s sewer system to handle, said MSD Operations Chief Brian Bingham. But the storm was worse than predicted and produced a record rainfall for the date – with variations throughout the county for the four-day period ending on Sept 9, from 2.36 inches in some parts to 7.91 inches in others.
Noting the unpredictability of such storms, Chief Hamilton reminded the public today of the need to take precautions around flood waters, as intense rain events can very quickly inundate an area, and not to attempt to drive through floodwaters.
In all, Louisville Fire and Suburban Fire responded to 72 water rescue calls during the two-hour rain event, including many individuals who drove into standing water and, in some cases, around barriers.
Director Meiman noted that he and his staff were in contact with the National Weather Service (NWS) throughout the day on Sept. 8 — and based on those conversations, were expecting 2-3 inches of rain through the next day. When the rain began to intensify, and Emergency Management began getting real-time impacts of the storm from the NWS and MetroSafe, officials opened the city’s Emergency Operations Center to a Level 1, which involves personnel monitoring the situation, and assisting with potential needs of agencies involved in the event. Key city officials are alerted to Level 1 status by text, which initiates a chain of communication among senior leadership, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
The decision to put the EOC on Level 1 status was made at 8:18 p.m.; the EOC was closed at 11:30 p.m., once the storm had subsided. MetroSafe was staffed throughout the event with 18 dispatchers, 10 call takers and two supervisors. MetroSafe has a combined communications system that allows personnel to see county-wide impact of any event, including agencies that are not dispatched by the city.
Next Steps
Louisville Emergency Management Services has for months been sharing a NWS video that emphasizes, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown,” but Chief Hamilton and Director Meiman agreed that the number of high-water rescues from Sept. 8 indicate that additional public education is necessary. “When you have residents knowingly drive into standing water, including people who take down barriers to do so, it is clear the dangers have not been adequately conveyed,” Chief Hamilton said.
Chief Hamilton said city responders also have met and will continue meeting to review potential changes to keep the community safe during these increasingly severe natural disasters. For example:
- The city’s Public Works’ Road division is working with MSD to identify the potential standing water depth in each of 32 viaducts in our community and then paint visible marks on each, as an additional warning to keep people from driving through during a heavy rain event.
- The city will use data from MSD, the National Weather Service, Louisville Fire and MetroSafe to project potential dangerous water conditions in the steepest and deepest viaducts and establish a mechanism to trigger visible warning lights to avoid entering flooded areas.
“Public safety is our No. 1 priority, and we work on a continuous improvement model,” Chief Hamilton said. “That means we will continue to review such incidents closely to see if there are additional steps we can take to further keep our community safe.”
