Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Friday declared a 30-day state of disaster emergency for 18 counties facing tornado and flood damage — a day after the state recorded its 44th tornado of the year.
The declaration allows the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to start providing financial assistance to the impacted communities under Indiana’s disaster relief fund, Braun explained in a news release.
“It is my hope that this step enables residents, businesses, and local government to access needed resources and assistance as they assess and recover from these devastating weather events,” he said.
The declaration covers Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Delaware, Gibson, Hamilton, Harrison, Lake, Madison, Marshall, Martin, Owen, Perry, Posey, Spencer and Warrick counties.
The order itself wasn’t immediately available, Braun’s office said.
Severe thunderstorms on April 2 spawned a whopping 24 tornados in Indiana according to a tracker by the National Weather Service’s Indianapolis office — doubling the state’s tornado tally in just one day.
The service identified wind gusts of more than 80 miles per hour and large hail as primary threats, but heavy rain also prompted flash flood warnings. The flood threat remained “significant” for days, with “major flooding” reported throughout the next week and into Friday.
“Flooding is ongoing across the region and there have been many water rescues,” the service noted on April 5. “Avoid flooded roadways and floodwaters! Turn around, don’t drown!”
Another tornado blew through Gibson County Thursday. Photos via the Gibson County Sheriff’s Department and posted by Indiana State Police showed damage to buildings, vehicles, trees, utility poles, street signs and more.
That brought Indiana’s tornado tally to 44 for the year, the National Weather Service’s Indianapolis office confirmed to the Capital Chronicle on Thursday.