Mayor Buttigieg announces South Bend is under a State of Emergency

SOUTH BEND, Ind. –  South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg held his second press conference of the day and announced the city is under a state of emergency.

Mayor Buttigieg says the St. Joseph River is at the 500 year flood level, and is expected to be at flood stage through next week. It is expected to peak at 13-feet.

He said the fire department rescued two families from their homes on S. Emerson Street on the east side of South Bend.

Many roads across the city are closed due to high water and the challenges the city is facing with people ignoring barricades and what he is calling "monster potholes."

He says you should never go around a barrier or road closed sign. Because the city is under a travel advisory, anyone disregarding a barrier will be ticketed.

“When we have a street closed, it’s closed for a reason. We’ve already seen cars getting stuck and engines being flooded because people ignore the barriers and drive around them,” said Buttigieg

The St. Joseph River is expected to hit a record high point Thursday as the current reading is 11.2 feet –- already over the record of 10.9 feet.

The mayor encourages those who live in South Bend to call 3-1-1 with their non-emergency concerns.

The O'Brien Recreation Center is open as an emergency center for anyone who needs to leave their home.

Click here to view the city's interactive map of closed roads and closed parks.

Residents in need of sandbags are encouraged to bring their own shovels to assemble their own sandbags. Below is a list of sandbag sites:

• Clay Fire Department- 18355 Auten Rd, South Bend
• Clay Fire Department – Station #24 - 13981 State Road 23, Granger
• Mishawaka Street Department - 500 N Cedar St, Mishawaka
• Penn Township – Station #13 - 13750 McKinley, Mishawaka
• Riverside Garage - 3301 Riverside Dr, South Bend
• South Bend Street Department (Available 24 hours) - 731 S Lafayette, South Bend
• Warren Fire Department – Station #18 - 54837 Quince Rd,, South Bend
• Woodland Garage - 15973 New Road, Mishawaka