A large tornado that was first seen near Plainfield, Indiana, whirled its way into Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon. It left several homes damaged and destroyed power lines in the area, which affected thousands of people. Trees were also uprooted. People who saw the tornado near Speedway also reported the presence of a funnel cloud at around 2:40 p.m. Eastern Time.
According to a report by Brian Russel of the Plainfield Indiana Fire Department, houses sustained major damage, but there were no reports of injuries. Some of the buildings in the city’s commercial district were also affected by the tornado.
One of the witnesses in Plainfield said, “The wind was blowing so hard and the trees were just sideways. I was like ‘Kids, get in the bathroom right now.’ So, we grabbed the animals and got right in. We were ready,” she said.
In Plainfield, a home caved in as a camper was lifted off the ground and dropped onto the roof of the house. A number of homes were also damaged in the area, but no one was hurt. Reports said that some homes were also damaged in the Wayne Township area.
Meteorologist Mike Ryan from the National Weather Service said that the tornado was no longer on the ground when it reached Indianapolis. Instead, it was hovering like a dark cloud in the area.
UPDATE: Tornado reportedly touches down outside Indianapolis: http://t.co/NlaBd4MiWS pic.twitter.com/K6uIkBZDv1
— ABC World News (@ABCWorldNews) June 24, 2014
After Plainfield, the tornado headed to Indianapolis, and several homes were reportedly damaged by the tornado’s strong winds. Trees were also destroyed, and power went out on the southwest side of the city.
Reported tornado damages 3 homes near Indianapolis. Here’s a look at one home. pic.twitter.com/KzYXR2fh74
— Tom Messner (@TomMessner) June 24, 2014
VIDEO: Tornado touches down near Indianapolis this afternoon! Check out this amazing video captured by Ruben Cruz https://t.co/aQTNDLnNPT
— Maria Molina (@FoxMariaMolina) June 24, 2014
The National Weather Service gave the storm that accompanied the tornado a preliminary rating of EF1, as the winds reached the speed of 100mph. The storm survey team will still be conducting an investigation so that they can assign an official tornado rating on Wednesday.
Since the tornado came with heavy rains, flash flood warnings were also announced in Indianapolis.
Image via YouTube
