southsider2k5 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Powerful storms rip 3 counties Aug. 24, 2006 By Tom Wyatt / Post-Tribune staff writer A one-two punch of powerful storms, accompanied by tornado reports, battered northeastern Porter County, much of LaPorte County and parts of Lake County on Wednesday evening. Emergency management crews worked late into the night, clearing roadways, marking downed power lines and checking for injured residents. The hardest hit areas in Porter County included Dune Acres, Beverly Shores and Pines. Washington Park in Michigan City was wracked by tornado-like winds that whipped boats around at the in-water Boat Show set to begin today for a three-day run. Winds of 106 mph were reported by WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling. At least one tractor-trailer was toppled by winds on Interstate 94 near Westville. The Porter County Sheriff’s Department received several unconfirmed reports of funnel clouds that touched down, including a report about 7:30 p.m. of a funnel cloud near U.S. 231 south of Hebron near the Porter-Lake county line. There were no reports of injuries. But power outages were widespread. And days of cleanup lie ahead for many residents. Some 23,300 NIPSCO customers were without power as wind snapped utility poles and power lines throughout the region, spokesman Brian Charbonneau said late Wednesday. The hardest hit was LaPorte County, where blackouts affected 13,500 households. In Lake County, 6,400 homes suffered power losses, as did 2,200 in Porter County. “This was a pretty heavy storm,” Charbonneau said. “We’ve got as many crews out there as possible.” The storms damaged signals on the South Shore Line, forcing trains to stop and radio ahead for clearance. The first of the small but damaging storm cells swept down from Lake Michigan just before 6 p.m. An aircraft pilot reported a funnel cloud about eight miles from the shore headed in the direction of Beverly Shores. The second storm cell followed about a half hour later, bringing more high winds and more warnings of tornadoes from the National Weather Service. This cell made its way deeper into Porter County, bringing with it marble-sized hail and covering streets with an icy gravel. In the town of Pines, residents milled about past sunset, seemingly in a daze, as they assessed the widespread damage. Indiana 520, or Pines Cutoff, was closed because of low-hanging power lines and several side streets were impassable because of downed trees. “It’s pretty spectacular,” Cathy Yanke said as she stood in her yard, staring at a large branch from a neighbor’s maple tree that narrowly missed the roof of her house. “I don’t ever remember a storm like this.” A Pines woman called emergency personnel after a tree fell on her house and blocked the entrance. She later called back to say she made it out safely. Still, Ogden Dunes Fire Chief Eric Kurtz, with the Porter County Incident Management Team, said several emergency agencies responded to the area to help with managing the aftermath. “There may be things we don’t know about right now,” Kurtz said. “And that’s a concern. There are downed phone lines and cell phones are in and out, so there may be people who can’t reach us.” Ted Manske of Pines was in Michigan City visiting a friend when he noticed the sky had darkened. He headed home and got caught in the middle of the first wave of storms. He walked up and down U.S. 12 and side streets with a saw in hand, helping clear roadways. “This was a mess,” Manske said. The storm with golf-ball-sized hail, swept through Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets, knocking out power at the outdoor shopping mall and sending shoppers running for cover. The Works building, which contains restaurants and stores at the mall, at least partially collapsed, according to eyewitness accounts. With the city’s severe weather siren blaring, customers and employees at the mall hunkered down in preparation for a tornado at the advice of mall security officers. “You couldn’t even see anything in front you. It was horrible out here,” said Samantha Rudd, a clerk at the Jockey store. The grounds flooded in spots and were strewn with knocked over garbage cans, benches and signs. Even a hot dog stand tipped over. “It was like something out of a movie,” Rudd said. Vehicles in the parking lot at Blue Chip Casino were also submerged in water. Reporter Andy Grimm and correspondent Stan Maddux contributed to this report. We are fine, we sustained no damage ourselves. My moms house had a tree fall on a back porch and practically sheer it right off of the house. We haven't had power since about 6 pm last night, and Michigan City and all of the surrounding towns are basically disaster areas. The power is on in some areas, and completely out in others. There are massive old oak and maple trees down everywhere, which made getting around interesting. I have seen it storm like that exactly once in my life, and that was when I was ten and one summer in Texas we rode out Hurricane Alicia. I haven't seen anything since that approached it. But like I said, we are safe and OK, and the reports are by some miracle of God, at least so far no one was hurt or killed in our area. Please keep the area in your prayers as there are a lot of people who lost houses and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 I had absolutely no idea the storms headed in were going to be that bad. Glad you guys are OK Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Glad to hear you guys are OK. It wasn't even cloudy by me last night, Mike. Crazy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Glad to hear everything is ok. Maybe you and Jim can swap storm stories . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(Texsox @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 07:55 AM) Glad to hear everything is ok. Maybe you and Jim can swap storm stories . . . After his 04, I think he would "win" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 I used to bike through Beverly Shores a lot...really nice campground across route 12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 10:53 AM) I used to bike through Beverly Shores a lot...really nice campground across route 12. My in-laws live a mile down the road in the Pines, and its a miracle their house is still there. There neighbors house got a big oak tree right through the middle of it. That area was just destroyed from the sounds of it. I am sure you remember all of the big old growth trees, that stuff just got tore up. HWY 12 has been impassible ever since the storm at 6 pm last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Glad to hear you and your in-laws are okay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 I had no idea you guys even had a storm coming, but that sounds like one nasty storm that hit you all. Glad everything is alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 08:55 AM) My in-laws live a mile down the road in the Pines, and its a miracle their house is still there. There neighbors house got a big oak tree right through the middle of it. That area was just destroyed from the sounds of it. I am sure you remember all of the big old growth trees, that stuff just got tore up. HWY 12 has been impassible ever since the storm at 6 pm last night. Yeah, that whole area of 12 was really nicely surrounded by trees as soon as you get East of the mills all the way to Michigan City. I can imagine that taking a while to clean up. Wonder if Dad had the car outside. He never got the hail damage fixed from the last one of those about 5 years ago (he kept the insurance check). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 11:29 AM) Yeah, that whole area of 12 was really nicely surrounded by trees as soon as you get East of the mills all the way to Michigan City. I can imagine that taking a while to clean up. Wonder if Dad had the car outside. He never got the hail damage fixed from the last one of those about 5 years ago (he kept the insurance check). IIRC your family was from the Valpo area right? It didn't sound like they got it nearly as bad as we did. Basically if you took a line right down the Porter/Laporte county line, that sounds like the path of the storm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 09:44 AM) IIRC your family was from the Valpo area right? It didn't sound like they got it nearly as bad as we did. Basically if you took a line right down the Porter/Laporte county line, that sounds like the path of the storm. Portage, just south of Route 20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Yeah, but is Lighthouse Place ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(RockRaines @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 12:25 PM) Yeah, but is Lighthouse Place ok? I haven't heard anything either way to be honest... They did say one of the stores in Wal-Mart plaza got hit by lightning and burned down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 12:29 PM) I haven't heard anything either way to be honest... They did say one of the stores in Wal-Mart plaza got hit by lightning and burned down. You have a plaza actually called "Wal-Mart Plaza"?? Hicks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(mreye @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 01:47 PM) You have a plaza actually called "Wal-Mart Plaza"?? Hicks! Pfft. Like you have all of your teeth or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 24, 2006 -> 01:49 PM) Pfft. Like you have all of your teeth or something... Just made the last payment in June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Only in Indiana would you dedicate an entire plaza to the jewel that is Wal-Mart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 25, 2006 Author Share Posted August 25, 2006 Well we are now pushing 48 hours and still no power. Our block literally is an electric free oasis... We just threw out a freezer, refridgerator, and most of a deep freezers worth of food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 25, 2006 -> 03:30 PM) Well we are now pushing 48 hours and still no power. Our block literally is an electric free oasis... We just threw out a freezer, refridgerator, and most of a deep freezers worth of food It's a time of citywide crisis and yet you still find a way to fit in Soxtalk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 28, 2006 Author Share Posted August 28, 2006 The post you all have been waiting for.... the pics on a blog! The Storm of 06, a pictorial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heads22 Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 My town's so much tougher than yours. Back in 68 we gave an F5/F1 twin twister a good ol' forearm shiver to the face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 The Wal Mart plaza is actually called "Lake Park Plaza." This reminds of me of the day the tornado blew through while I was on the air at WIMS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 The Wal Mart plaza is actually called "Lake Park Plaza." This reminds of me of the day the tornado blew through while I was on the air at WIMS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.