One of the many homes in the Warsaw area experiencing flooding.

WARSAW — Kosciusko County’s Emergency Management Director Ed Rock is reminding people who’ve experienced damage due to rising water levels to contact the state, while representatives from the state fire marshal’s office are on site to assess the extent of the damage countywide.

According to Rock, three representatives from the fire marshal’s Code Enforcement Division are traveling throughout the area to see how much damage the recent rains have done.

“Actually we put it out there that we needed to have people report damage and so far, we’ve only had 15 people register,” said Rock. “I don’t understand this.”

Rock said residents or business owners with significant water damage can register the damage online at in.gov/dhs.

“There are three guys out there right now in the Tippecanoe Lake and Barbee chain and we’ll be directing them to other areas as well,” Rock said.

“This is the first day of this and that’s why they’re out there so they can document this and maybe get us added to the governor’s disaster declaration. It also helps in dealing with FEMA after the fact,” he said.

Rock reminds residents not to delay in reporting damage.

“I definitely need people to jump on there and report damage,” he said. “In fact, there was one house that reported and I would have had no idea of the damage just driving by there.”

Rock issued the following statement:

“Damage Assessment crews made up of local and state employees are surveying homes and businesses affected by the recent storms and flooding. This is a first step in gaining federal assistance for the affected residents of Kosciusko County. Residents may be approached by these crews and asked questions relating to ownership of the property, insurance and extent of damage. The crews may ask to see and photograph damage. There is no charge or fee for the service the crews are providing for the residents.”

Rock added that members of the state crews are also taking photographs of flood damage.