FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ind. (WKRC) – The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado hit Franklin County, Indiana, in the early morning hours of June 18.
The NWS says the tornado peaked as an EF2. It struck near Drewersburg. The NWS is still working on the path and speed.
It struck near Drewersburg. The NWS is still working on the path and speed. (WKRC)
“I just came up and looked out the window, and everything just happened so fast; I heard a bunch of rumbling and looked out, and stuff was flying. It was gone before you knew it,” said Ray Thaler, who lives along Drewersburg Road.
Thaler was out helping people in the area cleanup throughout the day. While his home wasn’t damaged, the same can’t be said for the neighbor on Welsh Dr.
“There was a woman, I guess, trapped in the basement, and they got her out safely,” said Thaler.
Greg Jacobs has lived along Johnson Fork Road in Franklin County’s Whitewater Township since 1992.
“It was kind of calm, and I went to get back in bed and go to sleep, and the next thing you know, it just sounded like a big roar and things crashing,” said Jacobs.
He and his grandkids first found a limb through their kitchen window and much more when they opened the door.
“When you walk outside, you’re just in awe,” said Jacobs.
Downed and uprooted trees could be scattered across his yard.
“It took the roof off the shop, it broke the doors down, it’s unsafe over there a little bit, but it took the roof off my shop,” said Jacobs.
It struck near Drewersburg. The NWS is still working on the path and speed. (WKRC)
He worked to salvage what was inside.
“I got everything covered up as best I could, but it’s a mess,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs says he’s never experienced anything like this in the 30-plus years he’s lived in his home. It’s something he’s taking in stride.
“This is just material; fix this, clean it up, but I got my two grandkids up from Alabama to come up to visit for a week, and at least they didn’t get hurt; nobody got hurt. That’s something to be thankful for,” said Jacobs.
The NWS also planned to survey damage in Florence, Aurora, and Grant County.