EF-2 tornado causes damage in Madison County
This story has been updated to include information shared by the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.
LAPEL, Ind. (WISH) — An EF-2 tornado swept through Madison County on Monday night, causing damage to the Frankton Lapel Schools Administration building east of Perkinsville.
The National Weather Service Indianapolis confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Monday night’s strong storms produced an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 130 mph.
NWS surveyors told News 8 before the confirmation that high winds knocked down the building’s wall, but there was also evidence of a “brief tornado touchdown” near the site.
Reports say the tornado also ripped up several trees before hitting the school building. NWS also says several school buses were covered in masonry bricks and debris, and one of the buses parked outside the building had a “small but long metal support driven through the frame.”
The Lafayette Township Volunteer Fire Department posted on Facebook that the former Jackson School and current administration building has severe damage to the space now used for offices and the gym.
“The gym was destroyed with wall and roof collapse. Several buses were damaged along with the roof system on most of the building. Earlier it had been confirmed of a debris field near Perkinsville, which took some time before it was discovered. No report of injury, and all units remain on scene,” the post reads.