ZID CTLR DESCRIBED NEAR LOSS OF SEPARATION AT FL350 DURING BUSY AND COMPLEX TFC COMPLICATED BY WX DEVS AND LACK OF TFC FLOW RESTRS.

Narrative

TSTMS WERE PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE AREA. AFTER WORKING THE SECTOR FOR THE FIRST 30 MINS IT WAS EVIDENT NO ACFT WERE STAYING ON ATC ASSIGNED RTES DUE TO THE STORMS. SOME ACFT WERE ASKING FOR VECTORS AROUND THE MODERATE TO SEVERE PRECIP AREAS. THE SUPVR HAD BEEN UPDATED IN DETAIL OF THE SIT AND ADVISED THAT A SAFE FLOW OF AIR TFC WAS NOT AVAILABLE IN THE SECTOR. ACFT #1; SBOUND; WAS ADVISED TO DEVIATE NO MORE THAN 15 DEGS L. ACFT #2 (NNWBOUND) WAS ISSUED A VECTOR TO THE R TO AVOID ACFT #1. I ADVISED ACFT #1 TO NOT TURN ANY FURTHER L BECAUSE AFTER WATCHING TARGET HISTORY IT WAS EVIDENT ACFT #1 WAS TURNING AS HE SAW FIT. A COLLISION WAS DEVELOPING SO I ADVISED ACFT #1 TO TURN BACK TO THE R TO AVOID; THE PLT OF ACFT #1 REFUSED THE CLRNC. TO AVOID THE COLLISION I DSNDED ACFT #1 RAPIDLY A THOUSAND FT. EVEN THOUGH I FURTHER TURNED ACFT #2 MORE TO THE R; I GUESS ACFT #1 TOOK AN ADDITIONAL 20-25 DEGS OF A TURN ON HIS OWN WITHOUT ATC CLRNC. I ATTRIBUTE MOST OF THIS UNSAFE SIT TO LACK OF ACTION BY SUPVR AND TMU. DURING THE FIRST 30 MINS THE SUPVR WAS ADVISED THE SECTOR WAS 'FALLING APART.' THE SECOND 30 MINS THE SECTOR IN FACT 'FELL APART.' THE WHOLE TIME NO FLOW RESTRS OR SPECIAL RTES WERE ISSUED OR PUT OUT BY ANYONE. IT WAS LEFT TOTALLY UP TO THE SECTOR TEAM TO WORK TFC; WX RPT; AND TRY TO MAINTAIN SAFETY.