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Cleanup efforts are under way this morning throughout Kosciusko County in the wake of Wednesday's tornadoes.
Emergency crews tried to tally all of the damage, which is widespread from Mentone to North Webster. An estimated 70 homes sustained damage, including at least 35 in The Dells, adjacent to Warsaw Municipal Airport, and at least two houses and barns in the Mentone area listed as "gone." Extensive damage also was reported in the Epworth Forest area near North Webster.
There were 16 mobile homes, 10 barns, two churches, two vehicles and two boats listed as damaged as the result of the storms.
Renee Atkins of Warsaw was southbound on Ind. 15 returning home from work when the storm hit. She said she tried to pull off the road because everything went black and she couldn't see where she was going, "but the wind wouldn't let me."
Atkins was in front of Da-Lite Screen Co. Inc. when her van was hit by the strong winds and flipped onto the driver's side. Although she wasn't wearing a seat belt, Atkins was not injured. She said she was pulled from the vehicle by a passerby. "Todd Hammer jumped out and helped me, bless his heart," she said.
Trees and power lines were down in the path of the storm and crews worked late into the night to restore electricity to the affected areas.
Officials compiled a list of people who volunteered chain saws, excavators and manpower to help with the cleanup effort.
Tom Brindle, director of the Central Dispatch Center, said all six dispatch stations were in use, plus telephones were being answered in the two offices in the center. A total of 961 calls were logged between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, with 87 of those being 911 calls. Reports ranged from tornado sightings to power outages to damage. During the same time period on Tuesday, there were 236 calls, including five 911 calls, and Brindle said those numbers reflect an average day.
"The response from the community was tremendous," said Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine. "This was a great test for our new communication center. I'm happy with both the community and the people in uniforms."
County administrator Ron Robinson said this morning that the overall emergency response went "exceptionally well," but he believes the dispatch center needs a few more telephones to accommodate the number of calls handled during such disasters.
Candles being used for light because of power outages after the storm at a Suburban Acres Mobile Home Park residence sparked a fire that extensively damaged the home.
Officials are planning an emergency response exercise Nov. 3 to prepare for disasters that could strike the community. The mock disaster was scheduled before the storms hit.
