The tornadoes will be rated Thursday as the National Weather Service surveys the damage.
Advertisement
The National Weather Service said an EF3 tornado hit the south side of Kokomo, packing winds of up to 165 miles per hour.
The NWS on Thursday issued preliminary storm ratings on four tornados.
An adjacent shopping mall was heavily damage, reported and nursing home in Howard County also continues damage due to storm, Erickson said. Most of those injuries were in Howard County and included a resident who was trapped in a home by one of the storms. At least two tornadoes struck cities in central in on Wednesday, tearing th.
“I love Kokomo”, Persons said.
When asked about federal support for the affected areas, Pence said the Indiana Department of Homeland Security was already in contact with FEMA. “[The Colts are going to] lend a hand – so to speak – and try to help those people recover as much as we can”. Tornado season typically runs from April to July.
As of late Thursday afternoon, weather service survey crews had confirmed that seven tornadoes hit IN on Wednesday.
Nine different counties reported funnel clouds and tornado touchdowns.
Pence praised the efforts of Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight and the first responders who were on scenes of emergency into the night Wednesday.
But 165 mile-per-hour winds destroyed several homes, damaged many other structures and shredded trees. It leveled a Starbucks and ripped through the same area of town debilitated three years earlier.
“It was by the absolute hand of God that we were not here”, Arnette said, “Because we both should have been off at the same time”.
“I will tell you that walking through the neighborhood across the highway – it’s just very moving to me”, said Pence near the site of a Starbucks that was demolished by storms the day before. “We haven’t had power since the storm hit”.
“We’ve seen it, heard about it, I’m like, let’s pack our bags and let’s go”, Sarah Carlow says. “We’re not only in this together; I’ve got your back”.
Utility companies report at least 15,000 homes and businesses remain without electricity in Howard County.
The American Red Cross setup a shelter at the Kokomo Event and Conference Center for those displaced by Wednesday’s storms.
“It looks like a war zone”, said Joe Gardner, whose home was destroyed.
Advertisement
“In 2013 some of the same areas were impacted”, Slusher says.
