Tornadoes rip through Boone, Clinton, and Howard counties
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Indianapolis, April 20, 2004 - High winds damaged homes and buildings Tuesday night as tornado clouds were spotted throughout Boone, Clinton, and Howard counties.
So far, only two injuries have been reported. One person was injured on Interstate 74 when a tractor-trailer was blown off the highway. A woman was injured in Kokomo when she was hit by debris. She was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in good condition.
Video from at least one amateur photographer captured a funnel cloud near Jamestown. Chopper 13 flew over several damaged properties in Jamestown, including two neighboring homes which lost their roofs due to winds. The National Weather Service could not immediately confirm whether the damage was caused by tornadoes.
Three families in Jamestown are now being sheltered by the Red Cross. Wayne Henry, the superintendent of utilities for Jamestown, said he saw a tornado around 5:40 p.m. Jamestown has declared a state of emergency.
Radar indicated two separate storm cells tracking northeast late Tuesday afternoon from Putnam and Boone Counties. The National Weather Service in Indianapolis issued tornado warnings for Putnam, Boone, Clinton, Hamilton, Howard, Tipton, Madison, Wabash and Miami counties as the cells moved across the state.
Several trucks were blown over on Interstate 74 west of Indianapolis, closing the freeway during the evening rush hour. As the heavy cell moved through Kokomo, damage at a skating rink and one of the Chrysler plants was reported. Cinergy is reporting that 550 of its customers in Kokomo are without power.
Fire Captain Clayton Duncan said what authorities believed to be a tornado touched down on the north side of the city. No other information was available on damage to buildings.
The Clinton County Emergency Management Department reported that at least three tornadoes touched down just before 5:30 p.m. in Michigantown, causing sporadic damage to the small town about 20 miles east of Lafayette. No injuries were reported, but some residential rooftops and businesses were damaged.
A spokesperson from Governor Kernan's office said the governor has activated the State Emergency Management team. SEMA has set up its Emergency Center to help monitor the damage and report back to Governor Kernan. There have not been any reports of serious injuries.
The National Weather Service indicated a severe storm cell moving through northwestern Indiana. This cell has dumped over an inch of rain in the past hour. As a result, the National Weather Service expects minor flooding in the area.
The storms moved out of Central Indiana after 8pm, but the area remains under a tornado watch until 11 pm.
