ELIZABETH — The Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino has closed its hotel due to rising Ohio River levels and likely won't open for several days.
As Southern Indiana awaits 3 to 5 inches of rain starting tomorrow and extending to the end of the weekend, river levels are expected to rise well past the flood stage of 55 feet to 58.2 feet by Friday, WAVE 3 chief meteorologist Kevin Harned said Tuesday.
Horseshoe starts considering closing its hotel for safety reasons when the water level is predicted to reach 55.5 feet, said Lizzet Verdi, the casino’s marketing and entertainment manager, in an email. As of Tuesday afternoon, water levels were just above 55 feet.
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the casino closed its hotel, as well as its Aroma Cafe and Indulge Spa in response to the river levels, but kept its casino and other restaurants open.
“We will continue to monitor the levels and make the decision to open accordingly,” Verdi said.
Harned doesn’t expect the river to fall below flood level until late next week. The river could peak at around 60 feet, he said, which is comparable to river levels in March 2015, when the Ohio rose to 61.29 feet. Horseshoe also closed its hotel when that happened. Before that, the casino last closed its hotel in 2011.
Southern Indiana is currently experiencing park and riverfront flooding. When the river reaches 58 feet, Ind. 111, along which the Horseshoe lies, will begin to flood.
As a whole, the area should be fine, though, Harned said.
“These places are used to this,” he said. “You know, it doesn’t happen every year, but minor flooding happens along the river. People expect it.”
Most places will deal well with this year’s flooding, he predicted.
“It’s a huge inconvenience. It’s a headache, but it’s not a huge worry,” he said.