Storm leaves damage, power outages in Southern Indiana

Libby Cunningham, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Aug. 7—SOUTHERN INDIANA — Strong winds, lightning and rain are to blame for damage in Clark and Floyd Counties following early morning storms on Monday.

Other parts of Southern Indiana saw heavier damage and higher reported winds.

As of Monday afternoon the National Weather Service's Louisville office reported a preliminarily EF-1 tornado with 95 MPH winds that touched down near Paoli.

Meteorologist Kyle Wilkins told the News and Tribune that teams are surveying areas in Washington, Orange and Crawford counties for tornado damage as well.

"So the main thing right now, is we still have a survey ongoing that will probably carry in to tomorrow (Tuesday) to get the official cause of damage along the track," Wilkins said. "...Preliminarily we believe we had a tornado that did most of the damage that is along the same path, along the same system."

Wilkins said the rest of the storm was more of a straight line wind event, mixed with heavy rain and lightning.

He said he's not aware of any damage in Clark or Floyd counties that is being looked at as tornadic.

"This yeas has been more active (for severe weather)," Wilkins said.

An EF-1 tornado struck near Indiana University Southeast on in New Albany in May. It resulted in roof damage at Carriage House Apartments, uprooted trees and snapped power lines, the City of New Albany confirmed. No injuries were reported due to that storm.

It appears Clark and Floyd counties were also able to avoid any serious injuries in Monday's storm.

"Thankfully, no injuries were reported during the intense storms," New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan said on Monday. "If you notice a downed tree or limbs caused by storm damage that are in the roadway, sidewalks, or other areas of public right of way, please call the street department at 812-948-5352 and make a report so that we can get to it quickly."

More than 8,000 Duke Energy customers were without power in Clark and Floyd counties on Monday morning, said Duke Energy Spokesperson Lisa Huber.

Huber told the News and Tribune that Duke Energy employees from other places in the Midwest, and contracts, were called in to assist local cleanup crews.

"Some damage was in off road areas that were not accessible by bucket trucks, so special equipment was needed to make repairs," Huber said. "In many instances, vegetation crews were needed to remove trees before line crews could begin repairs. We hope to have the majority of customers restored by midnight. We appreciate our customers' patience while our crews are working to restore power as safely and as quickly as possible."

Storms are possible later this week in the area.