Whiteland residents clean up after destructive tornado

WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — Whiteland residents spent much of Saturday cleaning up debris after a tornado ravaged the community just south of Greenwood late Friday night.

“It’s surreal, just surreal. I grew up here and you come here all the time and hang out with your buddies and one day, you come over here, and your house is gone,” said Wyatt Pruitt, who lives about a mile outside the disaster zone.

Much of damaged was centered around South State Street and Pearl Streets, but areas around the town felt the storm.

“My phone went off with the alert and then the sirens went off, the first one wasn’t that bad. I got up, went to the bathroom, put stuff in the bathroom, and put my family in the bathroom. The second one went off, and it sounded like a freight train,” said Pruitt.

Governor Holcomb declared a state of emergency for Johnson and Sullivan counties, and said in a statement that he is engaging with FEMA to seek federal disaster funds.

A Red Cross shelter at Greenwood Middle School is still open. It has food, water, toiletries, and a place to sleep. It’s open to anyone in Johnson County that was displaced by the storm. Volunteers can also help victims get the resources they need for long term housing.