PENDLETON — Utility crews, police and firefighters, emergency management officials and residents were hard at work Tuesday cleaning up and doing damage assessments after a tornado passed through Pendleton Monday night.
“National Weather Service has confirmed this was a tornado,” Todd Harmeson, Madison County Emergency Management public information officer, said late Tuesday morning. “We don’t know the size of it yet.”
The weather service later determined it was an EF2 tornado, with winds between 111 and 135 mph, that struck at about 8 p.m. Monday.
It knocked down trees and power lines, tore roofing off of homes and other buildings, and toppled the steeple at Pendleton First United Methodist Church.
Harmeson said there was one injury, a person who was treated for a cut across the forehead, and no deaths.
Kelley Whitcomb, who lives just inside the Hancock/Madison County line in Fortville, shared this video of ominous clouds. The video was shot right before 8 p.m. Monday; minutes later, tornado sirens sounded.
About 4,200 customers in South Madison County were without electricity immediately afterward, and service providers worked through the night Monday to get it restored, Harmeson said.
By 3 p.m. Tuesday, about half of those customers had their power back on. Harmeson said some rural service could take up to three days to fix.
South Madison Community School Corp. canceled classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Pendleton Heights High School was set up as a shelter for people affected by the storm, Harmeson said.
Harmeson said 12 people slept at the high school Monday night.
While just a few people remained at the shelter as of mid-afternoon Tuesday, he said the shelter would remain open Tuesday night, and he expected the number of people staying there to rise again by the evening.
A shelter for pets also was set up.
Streets into Pendleton were closed to most traffic, with police turning cars away at the main roads into town. People were asked to stay home and off the roads.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, the area of town east of Pendleton Avenue was opened back up to traffic. The area between Pendleton Avenue and Fall Creek Parkway and along Huntsville Road remained under Emergency Management’s “shelter in place” request because of impassable roadways and other continuing dangers, such as downed power lines.
Private tree service companies and Town of Pendleton crews were busy Tuesday removing trees and limbs and clearing streets.
Hunter Barger, who works for the town’s street department, said they were in for a long haul to get things back in order.
“We’re way overwhelmed right now,” he said during a break to get a drink of water. “This is something you see out of the movies, that’s for sure.”
Indiana State Police and officers from police departments throughout Madison County and several neighboring counties were helping local law enforcement deal with the disaster, Harmeson said.
He said based on there being only a single injury, it appeared people heeded local warnings put out through social media and the Nixle alert system. He recommended residents sign up for Nixle, which is a free text and email alert service.
On Tuesday afternoon, he said it would still be some time before it would be known precisely how many homes were damaged in the storm.
Throughout the day Tuesday, streets were busy with activity, not only with first responders and tree service vehicles, but also with residents surveying damage and taking pictures.
A lot of them also were lending a hand to others.
“Thanks!” Gordon Haywood said to a man who brought a chainsaw with him to help cut up felled trees at the Haywood home.
“Hey, that’s what neighbors are for, man,” Eric Powers shouted back.
Isaac Gardner and Matt Torrence were seen making several trips with twisted pieces of copper roofing, piling it next to an alley just north of State Street downtown. The tornado tore the metal off the 1890 Independent Order of Odd Fellows building, 104-108 W. State St., scattering pieces across several blocks.
“We’ve lived here our whole lives — whatever we can do to help,” Gardner said.
“I’m all about it — just people helping people,” Torrence said.
Harmeson said there were so many people who wanted to help that a volunteer reception center was going to be set up so people could be registered, vetted and deployed. (Details were not available by press time.)
Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger issued a warning to residents not to let their guard down when hiring contractors to get repairs done.
“There’s a lot of fraud” in situations like this, he said, recommending people use local contractors they know and trust.
Phil Tooley, who was walking by Falls Park, where there was a lot of storm damage, said he was amazed at how many trees were lost.
“I think it’s going to be a very sunny summer in Pendleton,” he said. “A lot (of trees) will have to be taken down in addition to the ones that came down.
“It’s going to change the face of Pendleton.”
One thing the storm didn’t change are plans for next week’s June Jamboree. Dick Creger, Pendleton Lions Club treasurer/incoming president, said the show will go on June 4-8 as planned.
Times-Post staff writer Kristy Deer contributed to this story.
