Tornado Outbreak Hits Indiana, Ohio; State of Emergency Declared in Kokomo, Indiana

Pam Wright and Sean Breslin
Published: August 24,2016

Multiple tornadoes hit Indiana and Ohio on Wednesday, tearing down structures and forcing residents to clean up widespread damage.
A state of emergency was declared in Howard County, Indiana, after a large, damaging tornado hit the town of Kokomo Wednesday afternoon, flattening a Starbucks and causing significant damage to dozens of homes and businesses. The National Weather Service gave the twister a preliminary rating of EF3 following a damage survey.
The Associated Press reported about a dozen injuries in Kokomo. However, none are thought to be life-threatening at this time.
The tornado, which touched down around 3:24 p.m., entered Kokomo while moving east at 30 mph, according to the NWS. As it was in progress, a tornado emergency was declared for the twister that was described as "large and extremely dangerous" by the NWS.
Brad Deane, regional dispatch center manager for the Indiana State Police Region Two, told weather.com in a phone interview that the devastating tornado took a similar path to another tornado that touched down in the area two years ago. The path of the tornado was primarily in the area near the Markland Mall off Reed Road in Kokomo.
"It struck the exact same areas and we are seeing similar damage ... it also moved very slowly," Deane said.
Deane said the Howard County Sheriff's Department closed all streets in the city and county to everyone except emergency crews until 9 p.m. local time. He then said it has not been decided if the roads will reopen after 9 p.m.
Deane warned residents to be aware of any hazards around them, and if they see any please contact officials in that area so they may respond.
"There may be people just now getting to their homes and seeing electrical lines and gas leaks and there are a lot of hazards overhead and on the ground, and by all means public safety folks need their space so we don’t need any gawkers and onlookers getting in the way," he said.
(MORE: Where Severe Weather Could Hit Next)

"It's crazy. It's a madhouse," Mitchell Carlson, a maintenance technician at the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo, told the Associated Press. The 16-building complex had major roof damage on at least eight of the structures, he also said.
A Starbucks coffee shop at the Markland Mall appears to have been flattened by the tornado. Dozens of homes have also been damaged.
WTHR-TV interviewed a witness who said he was in a nearby restaurant and witnessed the destruction of the Starbucks. He told the reporter that people were trapped but uninjured after it collapsed.
"It was hellish," he said of the experience.

The Markland Mall received "significant damage" and roofs were blown off nearby homes, according to the National Weather Service.
Multiple tornadoes were reported across central Indiana throughout the afternoon. The NWS said an EF1 tornado was in progress east of Crawfordsville, but that rating was preliminary.
In Dillman, grain wagons were reportedly lifted 500 feet into the air, landing in a field.

Tornadoes Hit Ohio

A home is damaged in Antwerp, Ohio, after a tornado struck the area.
(Criss Hitt)

Several tornadoes were reported Wednesday evening in Ohio, and several were responsible for structural damage in western parts of the state.
Jay Carey, a spokesman for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, told weather.com in a phone interview that at least one injury had been reported close to the town of Defiance, where a mobile home park suffered severe damage about three miles north of the city.
"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. "But nothing has really been confirmed at this point since the storms are still going on."
A twister was spotted in Antwerp and was responsible for structural damage. As the storms moved northeast, multiple mobile homes were destroyed in the town of Defiance, and shortly after, a tornado emergency was declared for Napoleon.
The storms continued to push northeast, and a Particularly Dangerous Situation was issued for Liberty Center as the tornado stayed on the ground. It was responsible for power line damage and a propane leak in Okolona, and a semi-truck was blown over on U.S. 24 between Liberty Center and Napoleon.
This is a developing story; please check back frequently for updates.