Kosciusko County welcomed the first day of summer with strong storms Monday afternoon, resulting in power outages and fallen tree limbs. According to storm data collected by the central dispatch center, Kosciusko County experienced 10 personal injury crashes, three property damage crashes, 12 road hazards and 11 residents reporting storm damage. Kosciusko REMC reported between 1,500 and 1,800 meters in the northern part of the county without power Monday evening. They had crews working overnight and have brought that number down to only 50 meters still without power as of about 11 a.m. today, according to Jennifer Barger, communications specialist. She said, on behalf of Kosciusko County REMC, people should be safe and stay away from down power lines. NIPSCO reported just over 100 customers still without power in Kosciusko County, according to its power outage tracker. Crews are working hard to get the power back up and working, the website states. There were 13 reported cases of disabled vehicles due to the storm, some of those included vehicles that were parked and had to be moved during the storm, the central dispatch center report stated. According to Kosciusko County Emergency Management Director Ed Rock, “People do not comprehend when it rains that hard in a short period of time we end up with a storm surge and nowhere for the water to go.” Rock’s best advice while driving during strong storms was, “Turn around, don’t drown.” The National Weather Service, along with the State of Indiana, stresses residents practice the “Turn Around Don’t Drown” safety rules. The first rule is to avoid roads that are heavily flooded. If flooding occurs, get to higher ground and get out of areas that are subject to flooding, and be especially cautious when driving at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers.
