2 tornadoes hit Johnson County; 9 statewide
Five Hoosiers were killed in Friday night’s severe storms and at least 9 tornadoes touched down in Indiana.
Three people were killed in an EF3 tornado that touched down in Sullivan and two people camping at McCormick Creek State Park also died in an EF3 tornado that went through parts of Owen and Monroe counties.
An EF2 tornado touched down in Whiteland in Johnson County destroying homes and warehouses. It was on the ground for about 3.54 miles with a maximum width of 316 yards and estimated peak winds of 135 mph, according to the National Weather Serviced.
An EF0 was also recorded near Bargersville. It was on the ground for about 1.9 miles, was up to 25 yards wide and had winds of up to 85 mph
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Johnson and Shelby counties, saying that a confirmed tornado was on the ground near Franklin at 11:32 p.m. Friday night.
Gove. Eric Holcomb visited storm damaged communities over the weekend, declaring a State of Emergency in Johnson and Sullivan counties. The Sullivan tornado was on the ground for nearly nine miles with estimated winds of 155 mph.
The mayor of Sullivan told FOX59 around 200 structures were affected by storm damage in the county, with about 150 of those in the city of Sullivan.
A grocery store chain is helping with relief efforts in Johnson County. Kroger has opened donations at central Indiana locations to help community members impacted by Friday’s storms. Customers will be able to donate when checking out in-store by having the cashier ring up a disaster relief donation. Kroger is also donating pallets of water and snack supplies to shelters in Johnson County.
Classes have been canceled today for the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation. The school district says some school buildings in the Whiteland area are still having power outage and there is also storm debris on some of the roads leading to schools. District officials plan to provide updates today on the plan for classes the rest of this week.
TTWN Media Networks contributed to this report.