With every sandbag Sherman Pike piled in the back of his primer-gray pickup, the back bumper sank lower.

And 200 feet away, the Yellow River rose higher. And higher.

"You do what you can," he said, hoisting another sandbag. "They said that river’s going to hit 16 feet, though, so I don’t know if this is going to do any good."

Sherman and other members of his family were busy Wednesday afternoon filling sandbags to stack around their home in the 100 block of River Street in Plymouth, where the Yellow River burst over its banks in one of the biggest floods to hit the city in decades.

And the worst may be yet to come. According to the National Weather Service office in Syracuse, the Yellow River in Plymouth was forecast to reach a stage of 16 feet sometime Thursday, before receding to below the 13-foot flood stage on Jan. 14.

By Wednesday afternoon, the water was already covering sections of Garro Street and LaPorte Street near downtown, as well as covering many areas of park land along the city’s Greenways trail system.

The threat of the rising river was enough to convince Mayor Mark Senter to open an incident command center in conjunction with local emergency response agencies, and to strongly advise people living in homes threatened by the water to evacuate to higher ground.

Senter began sending authorities door-to-door to some 30 homes Wednesday to urge residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate.

The groups making the rounds, initially on downtown Plymouth’s south side and some areas on the south end of Plum Street, included representatives from the Northern Indiana Public Service Co., Senter said.

"Although the evacuations are not mandatory at this time," Senter said, "NIPSCO could overrule that if safety is an issue."

NIPSCO officials already have begun turning off gas and electricity to some residences where water has surpassed a safety level. Those residents are being directed to a shelter set up by the Marshall County Chapter of the American Red Cross at First United Church of Christ, 321 N. Center St.

Sandbags are being made available to any citizen in need at the Hoffman Brothers Auto Parts Store at the corner of Water and Garro streets, Senter said.

The mayor, in conjunction with Marshall County Emergency Management Agency, set up an incident command system at Plymouth’s fire station.

Housed there to respond to possible flooding issues, in addition to Senter, are Jim Cox, Plymouth Police chief and incident commander; Jon Van Vactor, Marshall County sheriff; Marshall County DNR, Indiana State Police, NIPSCO representatives, and the Marshall County Dive Team. At least two boats and other rescue equipment also are at the ready.

The command center could be manned through Saturday, Senter said, adding that the crest of the Yellow River, which runs throughout Plymouth, on Friday afternoon could exceed levels experienced in the flood of 1982.

Senter is asking all citizens to cooperate with officials who are concerned for the safety of the general public.

A press conference to update the situation was scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Mayor’s office.

The city and county weren’t the only agencies mobilizing forces in the face of the flooding. In Plymouth, the local office of the American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at the First United Church of Christ, where residents could find temporary lodging if they were forced from their homes. However, there had been no "takers" as of Wednesday afternoon.

Caseworker Mickey Davenport said that the First United Church of Christ, 321 N. Center St., opened its doors for flood victims, and donations from local food vendors were ready for the taking, as were warm blankets and cots.

"They (flood victims) are calling, but they want motel rooms," Davenport said Wednesday afternoon.

David Tolson, Red Cross executive director for chapters in both Marshall and Fulton counties, spent the day surveying the rising water in both counties. Davenport began the day accompanied by Clyde Avery, Marshall County EMA, and then headed to Fulton County, where consideration was being given to establishing at least one shelter there, as well.