Collaborations can be an important form of storytelling, and can provide muscle even if you are far away from where the event is taking place. I co-wrote the story below about devastating floods in Franklin, Ind., working from my desk in Indianapolis with a copy editor who served as field reporter. I also took the photos shot by a teen and assembled them together in a video montage, with the sound being a taped interview between the two of us. It was produced on deadline.
Man vs. nature: one tough fight. One family's experience, Home on high ground becomes refuge for othersBY TOM SPALDING AND MICHELLE WATSON
FRANKLIN, Ind. -- Garry and Terri Petersen looked out for their neighbors Saturday while keeping a close eye on the creeks.
Hurricane and Youngs creeks, generally shallow enough that you can wade through and catch crawdads and minnows, spilled over their banks and sent a torrent of brown water through streets that had not seen such a deluge in residents' lifetimes.
With property higher than most, the Petersens' Civil War-era home served as a shelter for about 30 neighbors who, like many in the community, were either inconvenienced or flooded out of their properties.
As he spoke by phone Saturday evening, Garry Petersen said water was within a stone's throw of his house.
"We've got bags packed," he said. "Several of our neighbors have lost their homes. It's quite sad. It's the highest everyone's ever seen it."
