National Weather Service to survey storm damage in 4 counties
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Teams from the National Weather Service will survey storm damage in several Indiana counties on Monday.
The teams will visit areas in Daviess, Johnson, Martin, and Monroe counties after at least four tornadoes were reported Sunday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service on Monday afternoon confirmed three tornadoes: One in Johnson County, one south of Shoals in Martin County, and one in southwestern Monroe County.
Damage assessment teams from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security will perform initial drive-through checks in 10 counties on Monday: Clinton, Daviess, Greene, Johnson, LaGrange, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Shelby, and Steuben.
Johnson County storm damage
One of the hardest-hit areas is Johnson County, where widespread damage was reported in Greenwood, New Whiteland, and Bargersville.
Multiple videos on social media showed a possible tornado near the intersection of Interstate 69 and State Road 44 near Waverly, in the area of Stones Crossing Road and State Road 135 in New Whiteland, and near U.S. 31 and Worthsville Road.
Strong winds cut a three-mile-wide swath through the area near Bargersville, with the Bargersville Fire Department reporting damage to at least 75 homes. Power outages there are widespread, with some expected to be without power well into the day Monday.
Sunday’s storms were very close to the town of Whiteland, where a tornado earlier this year damaged or destroyed multiple homes and businesses and the local fire station.
At least 1 person dead after Martin County storms
At least one person is dead in Martin County after a possible tornado near the town of Crane, CNN reports.
Another person was injured and rescuers were still searching for anyone else who may be in need of assistance, Martin County Emergency Director Monty Wolf told The New York Times.
A survey team will be in Martin County on Monday to determine if a tornado touched down in the area. Storm spotters reported seeing debris rotating on the ground near Crane, a town just off Interstate 69.
Possible tornadoes in Daviess and Monroe Counties
Survey teams will also check out storm damage in Daviess County and in the area near Indiana University Bloomington in Monroe County.
No injuries were reported in Monroe County, but emergency officials say several homes and barns in the area were damaged.
Strong winds ripped through the town of Kirklin in Clinton County, where homeowner Doug Gillespie said hail left the siding on his 140-year-old house was in shambles, according to I-Team 8’s Richard Essex.
In Orange County, hail caused “extensive damage” to the atrium at West Baden Springs Hotel.
The hotel remains open to guests, but the atrium, which is covered by an ornate 200-foot dome, is closed indefinitely, hotel officials said on Twitter.
