Police tower falls, fairgrounds damaged in Rushville storms

RUSHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A communications tower fell onto the Rushville Police Department, and trees were downed during the Rush County Fair as a storm moved through the area Friday night, according to the county’s Emergency Management Agency.

A photo from Ryan Cameron showed the police department’s tower bent across the roof the building. Cameron says he also had a tree fall at his home.

David Slaton shared photos with News 8 that showed a roof blown off a building, and damage to seating at the baseball diamond at Rushville Consolidated High School.

An EMA manager told the National Weather Service at Indianapolis that multiple trees were snapped or uprooted at the fairgrounds, where the storm also produced flying debris and blew over tents and tables. The manager also reported a tree downed at a home on East 11th Street.

The weather service alerted people to strong storms producing 40 mph winds and half-inch-diameter hail in Johnson, Rush and Shelby counties from about 7:30-9:15 p.m. Friday.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday, 1,090 customers of RushShelby Energy, most in Fayette County, and 1,378 Duke Energy customers, most in Johnson and Rush counties, were without power. Most customers had their power restored by 10:35 p.m.