INDIANA UPDATE
A weak, winter tornado damaged Westside cars and apartment buildings Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said today.
The Riverchase, Waterfront Pointe and Mariners Village apartment complexes at U.S. 136 and Girls School Road had trees downed and cars hit by pieces of vinyl siding, roofing and other debris being blown between 80 and 90 mph. Residents found doors pulled off apartment buildings and metal siding pulled off exterior walls.
Waterfront Pointe property manger Dana Meeks said about 30 of its 192 apartments were damaged, mostly with doors pulled off the walls, and windows and siding blown off. She said this afternoon that work crews have replaced all the doors and are working on the cosmetic damage.
By 5 p.m. today, IPL continued to work to restore electric power to the five buildings and 30 apartments. Some displaced residents are staying with family and friends, while the local chapter of the American Red Cross helped others with lodging.
The January tornado was the first in Indiana since Jan. 3, 2000, in Washington County.
Waterfront Pointe property manger Dana Meeks said about 30 of its 192 apartments were damaged, mostly with doors pulled off the walls, and windows and siding blown off. She said this afternoon that work crews have replaced all the doors and are working on the cosmetic damage.
By 5 p.m. today, IPL continued to work to restore electric power to the five buildings and 30 apartments. Some displaced residents are staying with family and friends, while the local chapter of the American Red Cross helped others with lodging.
The January tornado was the first in Indiana since Jan. 3, 2000, in Washington County.
Across the Indianapolis metro area, the worst damage was reported in a southwest to northeast path from a couple miles south of Danville, through Avon and Brownsburg and toward Clermont and Speedway. Straight-line winds caused that damage, the weather service said this afternoon.
Damage reports were coming in from across the state, as weather experts examined the damage and announced a winter storm watch, predicting heavy snow midday Friday.
Four people died in the storms in Southern Indiana, but no injuries were reported locally.
More than 40 homes in Hendricks County were damaged. The home of Patrick and Lynne Hamilton on Hendricks County Road 200 South lost a roof, and one firefighter said he could look up and see the sky while standing in the living room.
In Morgan County, weather service teams today determined damage to homes and businesses and to the roof of the County Courthouse in Martinsville were due to straight-line winds, not a tornado.
Morgan County Commissioner Jeffrey Quyle said no dollar estimate of the damage has been made yet, but a roofing and building contractor was working to replace the missing areas of roof. County Commissioner Brian Goss and a crew of county jail inmates cover a hole in the roof Tuesday night to prevent significant water damage to the building.
The Italianate structure, built over two years beginning in 1857, underwent extensive renovation and remodeling in 1895, 1912, 1934, 1956, 1976 and 1996. The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Early today, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and other city officials viewed property damage on the city's Westside from the storm.
Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the mayor, said Ballard and Public Safety Director Scott Newman visited an apartment complex where several buildings had severe damage, trees were uprooted and cars were thrown together by strong winds that could have been a tornado.
Barlow said the mayor expects to release a statement later today about what the city is doing to respond to the situation.
Lightning from the storm started a fire at a home in Westfield.
National Weather Service Forecaster Mike Koch said winds gusted to 81 mph in Greencastle; 66 mph in Brownsburg; and 51 mph in Indianapolis. Heavy rain and hail were followed later Tuesday by light snow, and the temperature in Indianapolis dipped from 54 at 6 p.m. Tuesday to 9 by 5 a.m. today.
In Posey County in Southern Indiana, Kathryn Mason, 83, and her daughter, Donna Fay Zoph, 57, died when winds knocked over their mobile home, said County Coroner Eric Austin.
In Henryville, Candy Moore, 33, died of asphyxiation after she was pinned under debris that fell on her mobile home about 20 miles north of Louisville, Ky., said Clark County deputy coroner Kevin Collins.
Wind and heavy rain might also have led to a fatal crash in New Albany, just north of Louisville, Ky., Indiana State Police said. The head-on collision killed Charles H. Ennis, 41, New Albany.
Damage reports were coming in from across the state, as weather experts examined the damage and announced a winter storm watch, predicting heavy snow midday Friday.
Four people died in the storms in Southern Indiana, but no injuries were reported locally.
More than 40 homes in Hendricks County were damaged. The home of Patrick and Lynne Hamilton on Hendricks County Road 200 South lost a roof, and one firefighter said he could look up and see the sky while standing in the living room.
In Morgan County, weather service teams today determined damage to homes and businesses and to the roof of the County Courthouse in Martinsville were due to straight-line winds, not a tornado.
Morgan County Commissioner Jeffrey Quyle said no dollar estimate of the damage has been made yet, but a roofing and building contractor was working to replace the missing areas of roof. County Commissioner Brian Goss and a crew of county jail inmates cover a hole in the roof Tuesday night to prevent significant water damage to the building.
The Italianate structure, built over two years beginning in 1857, underwent extensive renovation and remodeling in 1895, 1912, 1934, 1956, 1976 and 1996. The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Early today, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and other city officials viewed property damage on the city's Westside from the storm.
Marcus Barlow, a spokesman for the mayor, said Ballard and Public Safety Director Scott Newman visited an apartment complex where several buildings had severe damage, trees were uprooted and cars were thrown together by strong winds that could have been a tornado.
Barlow said the mayor expects to release a statement later today about what the city is doing to respond to the situation.
Lightning from the storm started a fire at a home in Westfield.
National Weather Service Forecaster Mike Koch said winds gusted to 81 mph in Greencastle; 66 mph in Brownsburg; and 51 mph in Indianapolis. Heavy rain and hail were followed later Tuesday by light snow, and the temperature in Indianapolis dipped from 54 at 6 p.m. Tuesday to 9 by 5 a.m. today.
In Posey County in Southern Indiana, Kathryn Mason, 83, and her daughter, Donna Fay Zoph, 57, died when winds knocked over their mobile home, said County Coroner Eric Austin.
In Henryville, Candy Moore, 33, died of asphyxiation after she was pinned under debris that fell on her mobile home about 20 miles north of Louisville, Ky., said Clark County deputy coroner Kevin Collins.
Wind and heavy rain might also have led to a fatal crash in New Albany, just north of Louisville, Ky., Indiana State Police said. The head-on collision killed Charles H. Ennis, 41, New Albany.
Star reporters Rebecca Neal, Brendan O'Shaughnessy and Bruce C. Smith and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
