KOKOMO, Ind. — There were eight tornadoes in Indiana late Wednesday afternoon, and three of those touched down and did significant damage in Howard and Montgomery Counties.
Meteorologist John Hendrickson says they have confirmed an F-3 tornado in Howard County and an F-1 and F-2 in Montgomery County. Reports of tornadoes in Marion, Monroe and Brown Counties remain unconfirmed. Investigators are on the ground continuing to survey the damage.
In Kokomo, the twister flattened a Starbucks and ripped the roof off of a large apartment building. The Markland Mall also sustained damage in the storm. No serious injuries were reported but many people were very emotional as they surveyed the damage. The Red Cross and other agencies are on the ground helping with the clean-up effort and residents who are now homeless. A state of emergency has been declared in Howard County.
Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence has cancelled all campaign events and rushed back to the area. “We’ll be here as long as we need to be to make sure that Hoosiers that have been impacted by these storms have what they need and have the support that they need,” Pence said at a hastily organized news conference at the state’s emergency operations center after he was briefed on the storm damage. “I have no higher priority than the safety and security of Hoosiers.”
The same storm system caused serious damage and at least one injury when it rolled through a mobile home park near Defiance, Ohio.
The chance for severe weather this afternoon is mainly north of Indianapolis, according to Hendrickson.
