Winds Rip Through Maple Leaf Farms
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
MILFORD - Heavy storms damaged areas in Milford this morning, and parts of southern Indiana experienced major flooding and road closings during hours of extreme weather conditions.
Strong winds destroyed a wall of Maple Leaf Farms' distribution center in Milford and caused minor damage to numerous facilities on the property. Storm gusts removed siding from a cold storage building, exposing inventory to outside conditions and temperatures exceeding preservation requirements.
"There were definitely strong winds," National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Wamsley said. "But whether a tornado actually touched down cannot be determined at this point.
"We have workers on site evaluating what took place and should have an understanding later today."
Maple Leaf Farms Communications Manager Janelle Deatsman said the company is working with the U.S. Department of Agricultural to salvage all possible products from the storage building.
No injuries were reported. An assessment of property damage and inventory loss has not yet been confirmed.
The National Weather Service said it has not be informed of any other major property damage in the area.
Two southern Indiana counties remained under a state of emergency today after heavy rains and flooding swamped roads and left some state highways under water, according to The Associated Press.
A 28-year-old man drowned Sunday night near Owensburg, about 20 miles southwest of Bloomington, after falling from a boat, Indiana Department of Homeland Security spokesman Andy Zirkle said.
Meanwhile, officials in eastern Indiana rescued motorists from two vehicles stranded by the rising Mississinewa River Sunday night.
Area firefighters, state conservation officers and Randolph County sheriff's deputies rescued the stranded motorists at Ind. 1 and Ind. 28 west of Ridgeville after their vehicles were trapped by water, said police dispatcher Brandon Redmond.
In southcentral Indiana, officials in Orange County and Perry County were urging motorists to stay off roads except in emergencies.
Footage aired on Indianapolis television station WTHR Sunday night showed cars up to their roofs in water that turned fields into lakes and turned highways into narrow trails across flooded areas.
The state homeland security agency had 100 National Guard members on standby to help with sandbagging if needed, WTHR reported.
The main road connecting French Lick with nearby West Baden Springs was submerged, and a state conservation officer used a boat to ferry a family to higher ground when their home near Orleans was surrounded by water, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.
Perry County dispatcher Cassandra Wheatley said about 11:30 p.m. Sunday that Ind. 66 was closed between Derby and Rocky Point in extreme southern Indiana, and two main roads near Indiana 145 at Siberia and Leopold also remained closed.
Among other major roads left at least temporarily closed Sunday were U.S. 31 in Clark County, Ind. 256 in Scott and Jackson counties, and Ind. 37 north of Paoli.
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings through this morning for more than 25 counties in southern and central Indiana after forecasters predicted an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain would fall Sunday night on already saturated ground. The warning area stretched from Seymour and Vincennes in the south to Carmel and Muncie.
The weather service also said high water would continue through Saturday along the East Fork of the White River and the Muscatatuck, Wabash, Eel and White rivers.
Total rainfall may exceed 8 inches for some areas of southern Indiana for the seven-day period that ends tonight, the weather service said. Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches fell across southern Indiana during the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. Sunday. Evansville set a record for rain for March 12, with 2.61 inches, breaking the old record of 1.62 inches set in 1927, the weather service said. [[In-content Ad]]
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MILFORD - Heavy storms damaged areas in Milford this morning, and parts of southern Indiana experienced major flooding and road closings during hours of extreme weather conditions.
Strong winds destroyed a wall of Maple Leaf Farms' distribution center in Milford and caused minor damage to numerous facilities on the property. Storm gusts removed siding from a cold storage building, exposing inventory to outside conditions and temperatures exceeding preservation requirements.
"There were definitely strong winds," National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Wamsley said. "But whether a tornado actually touched down cannot be determined at this point.
"We have workers on site evaluating what took place and should have an understanding later today."
Maple Leaf Farms Communications Manager Janelle Deatsman said the company is working with the U.S. Department of Agricultural to salvage all possible products from the storage building.
No injuries were reported. An assessment of property damage and inventory loss has not yet been confirmed.
The National Weather Service said it has not be informed of any other major property damage in the area.
Two southern Indiana counties remained under a state of emergency today after heavy rains and flooding swamped roads and left some state highways under water, according to The Associated Press.
A 28-year-old man drowned Sunday night near Owensburg, about 20 miles southwest of Bloomington, after falling from a boat, Indiana Department of Homeland Security spokesman Andy Zirkle said.
Meanwhile, officials in eastern Indiana rescued motorists from two vehicles stranded by the rising Mississinewa River Sunday night.
Area firefighters, state conservation officers and Randolph County sheriff's deputies rescued the stranded motorists at Ind. 1 and Ind. 28 west of Ridgeville after their vehicles were trapped by water, said police dispatcher Brandon Redmond.
In southcentral Indiana, officials in Orange County and Perry County were urging motorists to stay off roads except in emergencies.
Footage aired on Indianapolis television station WTHR Sunday night showed cars up to their roofs in water that turned fields into lakes and turned highways into narrow trails across flooded areas.
The state homeland security agency had 100 National Guard members on standby to help with sandbagging if needed, WTHR reported.
The main road connecting French Lick with nearby West Baden Springs was submerged, and a state conservation officer used a boat to ferry a family to higher ground when their home near Orleans was surrounded by water, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.
Perry County dispatcher Cassandra Wheatley said about 11:30 p.m. Sunday that Ind. 66 was closed between Derby and Rocky Point in extreme southern Indiana, and two main roads near Indiana 145 at Siberia and Leopold also remained closed.
Among other major roads left at least temporarily closed Sunday were U.S. 31 in Clark County, Ind. 256 in Scott and Jackson counties, and Ind. 37 north of Paoli.
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings through this morning for more than 25 counties in southern and central Indiana after forecasters predicted an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain would fall Sunday night on already saturated ground. The warning area stretched from Seymour and Vincennes in the south to Carmel and Muncie.
The weather service also said high water would continue through Saturday along the East Fork of the White River and the Muscatatuck, Wabash, Eel and White rivers.
Total rainfall may exceed 8 inches for some areas of southern Indiana for the seven-day period that ends tonight, the weather service said. Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches fell across southern Indiana during the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. Sunday. Evansville set a record for rain for March 12, with 2.61 inches, breaking the old record of 1.62 inches set in 1927, the weather service said. [[In-content Ad]]