WLS-TV reported central and north Indiana saw at least six tornado touchdowns, while Indiana Department of Homeland Security spokesman John Erickson said almost 32,000 homes in the region were reported without power.
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The tornado landed about 10 miles east of the city, .
Eight funnel clouds were spotted throughout the afternoon but it’s unclear how many touched down, according to Howard County authorities. Miraculously, no injuries have been reported.
“It’s insane. It’s a madhouse”, Mitchell Carlson, a maintenance technician at the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo, told the Associated Press. He also estimated that 20 to 30 vehicles had been damaged by falling tree limbs and air conditioners.
City and county officials declared a state emergency across the city and county, banning all traffic until 9 p.m.to leave room for medical and law enforcement personnel.
Utility companies reported more than 39,000 customers were without power Wednesday evening.
A tornado outbreak occurred in IN and Ohio Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Power was knocked out across the region, with Duke Energy reporting 29,000 outages and IPL reporting 7,500, said CNN affiliate WISH.
No serious injuries or deaths were immediately reported. Indianapolis public education officials delayed sending school children home on buses for almost two hours, waiting until the weather cleared before dismissing the students, the school district said.
The City of Indianapolis has been under multiple tornado warnings through the afternoon.
Kokomo, Indiana was hit by a large tornado today, and tornado watches remain in effect in Indiana through at least part of tonight.
According to Indianapolis’ Fox59, a tornado warning was issued for Howard County and everyone was told to seek shelter as the massive storm struck.
“We also understand that State Route 66 is closed at the moment due to downed power lines and we have reports of structural damage in that area”, he said.
The tornado in Kokomo struck at about 3:22 p.m., state police said.
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Local television station WTHR reported a large tornado in Kokomo had flattened a Starbucks coffee shop and caused substantial damage to a shopping mall.
