Tornadoes slam Winchester, Selma

PHOTO GALLERY

Winchester/Selma tornado

WINCHESTER and SELMA — Taco Bell and Freedom of Life Church are gone.

Jay Randolph Developmental Services, Goodwill and a nearby shopping center sustained significant damage.

Homes on the south side of Winchester, including Summers Pointe and the Gaslight Addition, and continuing east along Base Road and Greenville Pike and on the east side of Selma were destroyed or heavily damaged. And debris was strewn all over.

A tornado that moved roughly along the Indiana 32 corridor and touched down in Selma and Winchester caused millions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses as a severe line of storms left trails of destruction in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Arkansas.

The National Weather Service’s Indianapolis office on Friday afternoon confirmed an EF3 tornado in both communities. An EF3 is considered “severe,” with winds ranging from 136 to 165 miles per hour on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. (Tornadoes are rated on a scale from EF0 — weakest — to EF5, which has winds upward 200 miles per hour.) 

A statement from the National Weather Services later Friday indicated that the tornado started northwest of Selma near Truitt Road with a maximum width in Selma of 200 to 300 yards. It continued through “an open area and fields” to Winchester, where it reached a maximum width of 700 yards (about four tenths of a mile).

Randolph County Commissioners signed a state of emergency declaration about 12:15 a.m. Friday.

Some news outlets on Thursday night were reporting three Randolph County deaths related to the storm. Randolph County Sheriff’s Department on Friday morning said that information was incorrect and that no deaths had been reported in the county. (The Associated Press reported three deaths in Lakeview, Ohio, about 60 miles northeast of Winchester on the west side of Indian Lake, with dogs looking for more victims in the rubble.)

The sheriff’s department said there were 38 injuries as a result of the storm, with 12 transported to hospitals outside of Winchester. No one had been reported missing as of 3:30 a.m. Friday. Later in the day, Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy said three of the injuries are critical. He added that 110 structures were damaged with 22 houses destroyed.

Initial assessments indicated up to 50% of homes in Selma were damaged, according to a press release from Delaware County Emergency Management Agency.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, State Sens. Scott Alexander and Jeff Raatz, State Rep. J.D. Prescott and McCoy visited Friday with residents of the Gaslight Addition as they were surveying the damage. Holcomb and McCoy both praised emergency responders for their quick response.

“We’re here for you,” said Holcomb. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with something like this. We’ve learned from those experiences how to help more quickly and use that Hoosier Spirit and teamwork to face nature’s wrath and help those affected.”

Gabe Bogue Trucking employees were walking out of a company meeting when phone alerts went off regarding the tornado warning. Employees dispersed, with Gabe Bogue heading to Bogie’s Ice Cream to check on his staff there.

“Very calm,” said Bogue, sitting in one of his dump trucks in the parking lot at Walmart on Friday morning, of the moments before the storm hit. “And then as the girls were coming out of the store — we just kind of closed it down as quickly as possible. We got the girls in my truck and we could hear what sounded like a train on tracks, and as we looked left … we saw the tornado … at Walmart, just ripping through everything headed that way toward Bogie’s.”

A tank was picked up from the National Guard Armory at the intersection of Western Avenue and Huntsville Road and dropped in Fountain Park Cemetery, Bogue added.

“It’s the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” he said.

Amanda Higgs, a 43-year-old Selma lifelong Selma resident, her husband, Ernest, 44, were at their apartment along Jackson Street next to Morrow’s house when they noticed the tornado begin to form about 7:40 p.m. Thursday. It ripped through their property in about 10 to 15 seconds, taking a chunk of their siding, gutters, electrical wiring, trash cans and parts of the tree in their backyard.

“Like everyone says, like a freight train,” said Amanda Higgs, a 43-year-old Selma native. “It literally sounds like a freight train.”

“It was the scariest 10 seconds of my life,” she added. “And as quickly as it came, it went.”

Freedom Life Church, located at the intersection of Greenville Pike and Base Road was reduced to rubble. Across the intersection, all that was left in place at Taco Bell was an interior half wall and a handful of tables.

There was significant damage to a nearby shopping center, and the Goodwill that opened in August in the former site of Aldi had its roof and multiple walls ripped off.

Continuing east on Base Road, the Jay Randolph Developmental Services building was destroyed and there were places where it was difficult to tell where or if a house had once stood because of the amount of debris that was spread across the area. A house at 112 Base Road was gone, with every tree that surrounded it snapped off. For a couple of miles, debris was strewn everywhere, including siding wrapped around safety barriers along bridges.

Lisa Gulley, who has lived in Selma along Jackson Street with her husband, Tim, since 2008, had been recording a video of the storm from her front door as she watched the clouds begin to swirl, come together and appear to touch down at her neighbor’s house just to the northeast. The high winds ripped up her fence, causing panels to go through her back door.

“I’ve been a storm chaser all my life,” she said. “I’m usually at the back door, but I’m glad I wasn’t last night.”

Indiana Michigan Power reported severe damage along Indiana 32 with 125 poles damaged or broken. Damage to a major transmission line led to a lengthy power outage that had about 10,000 customers without power in the Winchester and Selma areas. Most were expected to be restored by 10 p.m. Friday.

Indiana Urban Search and Rescue Team (IN-Task Force 1) assisted local first responders with searches of structures, going door to door Friday morning. Randolph County Sheriff’s Department reported that most emergency responders from outside agencies had been released. Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the Red Cross, Indiana National Guard and Indiana Department of Health will remain on hand for as long as necessary.

Those who would like to help were asked to gather at 8 a.m. Saturday at Winchester Community High School and 9 a.m. Saturday at Selma Elementary School. Monetary donations are being accepted by the Community Foundation of Randolph County at randolphcountyfoundation.org and Heart of Indiana United Way at bit.ly/3PnKU6U.

“Our hearts go out to all of those affected,” said Sarah Moss, executive director of the Central Indiana Chapter of the Red Cross.

“We need people to help clean debris out of neighbors yards,” a post on the Town of Selma page on Facebook said. “Bring gloves any empty totes or boxes, or any tools you think would be helpful.”

Margaret Bunsold, whose home of 51 years in the Gaslight Addition in Winchester was destroyed, took shelter in her bathroom during the tornado and spent the night at neighbor’s house. 

“There are a lot of memories there, our children grew up in that home,” she said. “We’re fine. It’s the people who are important. Things can be replaced, and homes rebuilt. We’re praying for all of those who were affected and thankful that it was not worse.”

Tonya Morrow, 51, noticed the storm Thursday evening and turned on the television, while her 53-year-old Harvey Morrow Jr. husband watched it from the back (north-facing) door. As soon as the 30-year residents of Selma realized the tornado would hit, Tonya Morrow rushed to a closet with her son, his fiancee and her 2-month-old grandchild. She struggled to fit their two Pyrenees dogs in the closet while her husband raced indoors.

The tornado ripped off their roof, taking the front porch along with it. Their two garages had been damaged as well as their new pontoon boat.

As of Friday, the house’s ceiling and walls had started to cave in. The Morrows were working quickly to remove what they could from the structure.

“We’re just trying to salvage anything we can save,” said Tonya Morrow.

A group gathered for a retirement party at Randolph Inn for Scottie Harvey of Randolph County Visitors and Tourism hunkered down in an inner hallway and watched live footage from one of the cameras in the parking lot. It looked as if there were two or three funnel clouds.

Freedom Life Church, located at the intersection of Greenville Pike and Base Road was reduced to rubble. Across the intersection, all that was left in place at Taco Bell was an interior half wall and a handful of tables.

There was significant damage to the shopping center that includes Verizon Wireless, Mi Mi Nails, Famous Smoke Shop and Moshi Moshi Japanese Restaurant. The Goodwill store and donation center, which opened in August in the former site of Aldi, had its roof and multiple walls ripped off.

Kent A. Kramer, president and CEO of Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, was on hand surveying the damage and checking on employees Friday morning. He commented that it would take a year to rebuild.

Continuing east on Base Road, the Jay Randolph Developmental Services building was destroyed and there were places where it was difficult to tell where or if a house had once stood because of the amount of debris that was spread across the area. A house at 112 Base Road was gone, with every tree that surrounded it snapped off. For a couple of miles, debris was strewn everywhere, including siding wrapped around safety barriers along bridges.

Power lines and poles were down across and along Base Road and Greenville Pike.

In the residential area, there was significant damage in the area south of Orange Street. A section of the fence at Beeson Park had been ripped off and several trees were down along Meridian Street just to the north.

Selma native Rita Parsons had been sitting down to watch the “9-1-1” season premiere on TV right before 8 p.m. Thursday when the tornado struck her home.

“I thought, man, that train is really loud,” she said.

As soon as a few glass candleholders fell and broke on her floor, she knew something was wrong. Outside, the wind removed her garage, tossing its remains in the backyard along with fallen trees. The tornado stripped off a portion of her roof, removed the railing and damaged her two chimneys. It also ripped up a metal handrail bolted into the cement along the side door.

And yet, her wind chime hanging directly above the handrail appeared unscathed.

The inside of her home also sat virtually unaffected by the tornado, apart from the exposed roof and lack of electricity.

“All in all, I feel very much lucky,” she said.

Indiana Urban Search and Rescue Team (IN-Task Force 1) assisted local first responders with searches of structures, going door to door Friday morning. Randolph County Sheriff’s Department reported that most emergency responders from outside agencies had been released. Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, the Red Cross, Indiana National Guard and Indiana Department of Health will remain on hand for as long as necessary.

Emergency officials from Parker City, Farmland, Portland, Albany, Eaton, Centerville, Richmond, Muncie, Jay County, Blackford County and Dayton, Ohio, were among those who arrived to assist Thursday night.

Local officials began conducting a damage assessment Friday morning. Randolph County and Delaware County residents have been asked to use Indiana 211 to submit damage reports. Agricultural damage should be reported to Purdue Extension.

Utility and clean up crews spent a majority of Friday clearing away the wreckage. Muncie and other area locals helped chop up fallen trees and remove debris from yards as those impacted looked over the damage.

Pam Dobbs spent her day scavenging through the belongings of her son, Justin, and his girlfriend Katie, both who had been in their house on Jackson Street when the tornado removed their roof and most of the walls, scattering their belongings across their property and the neighbors’ properties. 

As of around noon Friday, Dobbs said they were still looking for one of their cats.

“I’ve been a nervous wreck about it,” said Dobbs, noting her son had gone to the doctor for chest pains.

Delaware County’s Emergency Operations Center activated Friday, drawing support from around the region in wake of the storm. Wapahani High School, just 2 miles south of Selma, established a reunification center Friday for displaced residents or those potentially separated from their loved ones.

Liberty-Perry Community Schools opened Selma Elementary’s doors Thursday night as an evacuation point for those with damaged homes and served folks helping to clear debris Friday. Although the building had no electricity, the school offered food, drinks or toiletries — they were donated by members of the community — for those in need.

Selma Elementary will open starting at 8 a.m. Saturday to accept food donations for breakfast, lunch or dinner. (Without electricity, hot or cold food items will not be able to last for long periods of time.)

“We want to thank our amazing community for the outpouring of support we have received today,” school representatives posted on Liberty-Perry Community Schools’ Facebook page.

Indiana 32 was closed on the west side of Randolph County because of downed utility lines and poles. Road closed signs were up on U.S. 27 south at the intersection with Indiana 28 in Deerfield.

Randolph Central Schools were closed Friday, with Winchester Community High School designated as a temporary American Red Cross shelter for those impacted by the storm, with crisis response team counselors from Meridian Health Services available. School personnel said late Friday morning that about a half dozen individuals utilized the facility Thursday night but had since moved on.

The school, however, had donations of water and non-perishable food items piling up.

Indiana Michigan Power reported severe damage along Indiana 32 with 125 poles damaged or broken. Damage to a major transmission line led to the lengthy power outage.

At 3:30 a.m. about 4,750 customers were without electricity in Randolph County. I&M said about 10,000 customers were without power in the Winchester and Selma areas. The number was down to 3,600 customers in Winchester and 850 in Selma by 11:30 a.m.

Six hours later, electrical service had been restored to about 85% of those who had lost power, with about 1,150 in Winchester and 170 in Selma still waiting. An estimated 400 I&M employees from the company’s Winchester, Muncie, Fort Wayne, South Bend and southwest Michigan regions were on hand working to repair damaged equipment. Service was expected to be restored to most by 10 p.m. Friday, though it was possible some outages would continue into the weekend.

“Due to the severity of the damage, our teams are working with emergency personnel to cut power in certain locations for the safety of the community and emergency personnel,” I&M said in a press release. “Once it’s safe to do so, a full contingent of our line workers, damage assessors, tree trimming experts and contractors will work quickly and safely to return customers’ power. I&M urges customers to not approach our workers and give crews working in alleys and along roadways plenty of space.”

According to National Weather Service data, the last F3 tornado — the rating system changed from Fujita to Enhanced Fujita in 2007 — in Randolph County occurred March 10, 1986, and in Delaware County on Nov. 26, 1965. The only tornado of a greater magnitude was an F4 that hit both counties on April 3, 1974.

“I’m saddened to hear the reports of injuries and damage in our community from the severe storm last night,” said Prescott (R-Union City), in a press release. “I’m praying for the individuals and families who are hurt and whose homes and businesses have been damaged. My sincere thanks goes out to the men and women on the front lines who are helping with this situation, from our local fire departments to Indiana’s Task Force 1 and the Indiana State Police.”

“After seeing firsthand the amount of destruction the severe weather and tornadoes caused, I want to commend our local emergency service personnel for their quick and efficient response,” said Alexander, who represents Delaware and Randolph counties, in a press release. “I visited Selma and other areas in the direct path of these storms, and it was amazing to see our community come together after the devastation.

“Thank you to everyone who have shown support for and assisted communities in Randolph and Delaware counties.”