4:55 p.m. Sunday UPDATE

Bargersville utility crews are working to restore power in the Whiteland area. They will be disconnecting homes in Park Forest that are unsafe and will be begin troubleshooting the issues in Knollwood Farms, the town said on Facebook.

4:42 p.m. Sunday UPDATE

The Town of Whiteland is under a boil advisory until further notice. Bring water to a full rolling boil for one minute before consuming, town officials say. This applies to customers served by the town water utility.

12:45 p.m. Sunday UPDATE

Clark-Pleasant Schools administrators have canceled all school on Monday, school spokesperson Rick Hightower said Sunday afternoon.

Two school buildings, Whiteland Community High School and Whiteland Elementary, have been without power since Friday night. Duke Energy has estimated that power outages in Whiteland will not be restored until Monday evening.

Hightower said school administrators will meet again on Monday to assess further about having school on Tuesday.

In Franklin, all the schools have power and school will be in session on Monday, said Robin Betts, Franklin Community Schools spokesperson.

Franklin College closed its campus on Sunday, and canceled classes on Monday, per a message posted by President Kerry Prather on the college’s website Saturday night. The campus has been without power since Friday night.

Students were set to return to campus from spring break this week. Resident students can return to campus after 2 p.m. Monday. The college’s administrative offices will reopen on Tuesday, and classes are also set to resume that day.

6:30 p.m. UPDATE
Whiteland Rd and US31 in both directions have been reopened.

5:21 p.m. UPDATE

Preliminary tornado ratings from National Weather Service survey teams:
Sullivan Co: EF3 with peak winds to 155 mph
Johnson Co: EF0 with peak winds to 85 mph south of Bargersville
Johnson Co: EF2 with peak winds to 135 mph in Whiteland

5:12 p.m. UPDATE

Most Johnson County REMC customers have power again. The utility is reporting 922 households without power, representing 3% of customers.

5:05 p.m. UPDATE

Duke Energy’s Indiana electric system, particularly in the areas of Martinsville, Sullivan and Franklin, sustain significant damage after a tornado ripped across central Indiana.

“We’ve had approximately 67,000 customers statewide affected by the storm and have restored approximately 49,000 to service. As of 4 p.m, there are approximately 17,800 without power. For Johnson County, we currently have just over 3,500 outages. However, persistent, strong winds are causing more outages and affecting progress on power restoration, so these outage numbers will fluctuate,” said Jean Renk, a Duke spokesperson.

Duke has identified more than 200 broken or damaged poles along with a considerable amount of spans of wire down, but that isn’t the full accounting of the damage.

“Damage assessment is still underway and so those numbers are expected to grow. We have significant damage as well on our transmission system, which includes power lines and structures that are our major carriers of power,” Renk said.

Duke has brought in contractors to supplement the company’s local workforce and speed power restoration, as well as moving crews from less affected areas to help in those that are hard-hit, Renk said.

The company is working as fast as it can, but can’t provide an accurate restoration timeline at this time due to the scope of the damage and ongoing high winds. Extended outages may be possible, however, in the hardest-hit areas, Renk said.

“During power restoration, our priority is to repair large power lines and other infrastructure that will return power to the greatest number of customers as safely, quickly and efficiently as possible. Crews then can work on repairs affecting individual neighborhoods and homes.,” Renk said.

The work is also slower-going because line technicians are not able to perform elevated work in bucket trucks when winds are above 30 mph, Renk said.

Customers can receive status updates on a power outage affecting them by texting REG to 57801, or by signing up online at duke-energy.com/outagealerts.

4:51 p.m. UPDATE

At this time, all Bargersville residents should have power. Anyone who does not have power should call 317-422-3160, town officials said on Facebook.

4:38 p.m. UPDATE

The Salvation Army is working in Johnson County to provide relief to those affected by the tornado in Whiteland.

Majors Mike and Mary Thomas of The Salvation Army’s Johnson County Red Shield Center are leading the organization’s Emergency Disaster Services, or EDS, response within the county, according to a Salvation Army Indiana news release.

They have brought an EDS canteen donated by FedEx to a staging area in Whiteland. The canteen will serve as a mobile kitchen to provide food and hydration to emergency responders, utility workers and displaced residents.

For the latest updates on The Salvation Army Indiana Division’s EDS team, people can find them on Facebook at facebook.com/EmergencyDisasterServicesIndiana.

Bargersville Town Hall will be closing at 5 p.m. today, it has been open all day for residents in need of warmth and power.

Currently, the timeframe for power restoration is unknown. And, if possible, residents should consider making overnight accommodations with family/friends who have power, town officials said on Facebook.

People who need shelter can go to Greenwood Middle School, 1584 Averitt Rd. Meals are also being provided at Greenwood Christian Church, 2045 Averitt Rd.

For water emergencies in Bargersville, please contact 317-422-3160. In case of emergency, contact 911.

4:25 p.m. UPDATE

In the Park Forest neighborhood, roofs were torn off and brick walls had crumbled to the ground. Dan Scales lives where Park Forest Drive North meets Park Forest Drive East, a spot where some of the most serious damage in Whiteland occurred.

Scales’ garage is now outdoors. The brick frame that formed the top of the garage door has collapsed, falling on two cars. Much of the roof is missing. Scales, who said he’s still in shock, feels lucky he and his wife are still alive. Around 11:30 p.m. Friday, they were hiding in a closet, then a bathroom, then an alternate bedroom where they finally found safety as their home collapsed around them.

“We were in the closet and the ceiling started looking bad. Then, we went to the bathroom and that started looking bad so we went to the far end of the house, it’s a bedroom,” Scales said. “Everything just exploded. I’m in shock, just trying to contact people who know what to do. I’ll stay with my son or some friends.”

Judy Gutermuth, who lives a few houses down on the 200 block of Park Forest North, had her windows smashed in and a ceiling fan dislodged but was spared some of the destruction her neighbors faced. Gutermuth spent much of the morning cleaning up glass, she said.

“I was in bed trying to watch my show and the news came on with the weather report. They talked about Sullivan (County) and all of a sudden it switched to Franklin and how the Franklin area might want to get ready,” Gutermuth said. “I got my stuff and went to the basement.”

Gutermuth said she’s grateful for people in the community, who helped by donating supplies and cleaning debris. One of those people was Kelly Adkins, who lives across Sawmill Road from the Park Forest neighborhood.

“We had no damage but our power went out and we still don’t have power or water,” Gutermuth said. “Most people I know are over here (in Park Forest). Judy is a friend of ours and we went to help with the debris cleanup.”

Volunteers with Johnson County Senior Services and Chick-Fil-A spent the day together traveling to neighborhoods and distributing food and supplies to people in need. The day started at 6 a.m., when they went to the shelter set up at Greenwood Middle School, said Kimberly Smith, Executive Director of Johnson County Senior Services.

“We have food, we have hats, gloves. The wind is unbearable for folks working in it. We’re trying to find out if seniors have any kind of needs. We have medical equipment, incontinence items, personal items for them as well,” she said. “We hope to positively impact the life of whoever God puts in our path; it’s that simple.”

3:50 p.m. UPDATE

With much of the destruction taking place in Whiteland, the New Whiteland Fire Department became a place for food, water and blankets to be donated.

Around 12:30 p.m., John Merrill, the owner of Merrill Property Group in Greenwood, helped deliver two pallets of water, blankets and snacks, bringing along his son-in-law, Brett Melcalf, who he said was strong enough to handle moving many of the items into the fire station.

“We’re a commercial real estate firm and we do business in Whiteland, New Whiteland, Franklin, Greenwood and Bargersville, so we reached out this morning to see what we could do to help,” Merrill said. “Now, we’re getting other businesses involved in helping. It won’t be a challenge, they just gotta know what the need is.”

While power was out Saturday morning throughout the town, New Whiteland was spared much of the physical impact of the storm. Instead, efforts from the New Whiteland Fire Department went toward taking stock of the damage and helping out in Whiteland, where they were joined by firefighters from the Whiteland, Greenwood, Franklin, Bargersville, White River and Edinburgh departments, said David Curin, New Whiteland fire chief.

“We’ve been going door to door, checking on citizens, making sure they’re safe and checking for any damage,” Curin said. “We want to make sure (supplies) get out to people who need it. At this point, we’re in the beginning phases of making sure the situation is mitigated, then we’ll get the word out about volunteering.”

With plenty of supplies at the station on 500 Sweetbriar Ave. is now a go-to place for helping out anyone in need of food, water or warmth, said David Wampler, firefighter and chaplain.

“We’re making sure we can help in any way we can,” Wampler said. “There’s a lot of damage and a lot of devastation over (in Whiteland). I assume we’ll open up to social media and let everyone know about it and they can get what they’ll need. I hope we get a good turnout for it. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

3:40 p.m. UPDATE

The National Weather Service has been assessing the damage today across the storm’s path. Preliminarily the storm appears to be at least an EF2 tornado, with winds at 110 to 130 mph, said Mike Ryan, NWS Indianapolis meteorologist.

The damage report isn’t finalized yet and the tornado could turn out to be even stronger in some pockets within Whiteland, he said.

The tornado was even stronger when it hit Sullivan County, where the storm claimed three lives. The damage is also still being assessed there, and it is preliminarily being called EF2 tornado with winds between 111 to 135 mph; however some locations saw EF3 winds 136 to 165 mph, according to tweets from Indiana Capital Chronicle.

3:07 p.m. UPDATE

Gov. Eric Holcomb toured storm damage Saturday afternoon and issued emergency declarations for both Johnson County and Sullivan. He visited Sullivan to survey the damage left behind by a likely tornado that tore a path from Illinois to Sullivan, Morgan County and Johnson County late Friday night. Sullivan was the hardest hit place in Indiana, with the storm claiming three lives.

“I have signed an executive order declaring a disaster emergency for Sullivan and Johnson counties because of severe weather that moved through the state overnight Friday into Saturday. First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have perished in this storm and all who are suffering losses because of this incident. I will remain in contact with emergency management officials as well as local officials in Sullivan and Johnson counties as we continue to assess the damage, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is actively engaging with FEMA to assess the damages from the incident,” Holcomb said on Twitter.

2:55 p.m. UPDATE

Kevin Morphew was sitting in his house watching the storm through his window late Friday night. He thought it would be just like any storm.

Then, the power went out, and he heard the winds that sounded like a freight train.

“I hit the floor. And as soon as I hit the floor, everything crashed and debris hit me. There was stuff all around my house,” he said.

Morphew’s house was in the path of the storm that ripped through a section of houses on West Street in the Spring Hill subdivision in Whiteland.

A tree was knocked over onto his house, and Morphew saw some of his walls shift.

Morphew was outside of his house with a friend Saturday afternoon, hours after the storm path came through Whiteland around midnight the night before.

He cleaned up what debris he could, and assessed the damage to his house.

Morphew wasn’t sure where he was going to stay for the time being, since his house was damaged and he had no power or water.

“I want to stay here. I don’t want to leave my place. Because, you know, it’s home,” Morphew said.

Throughout the affected areas of the Spring Hill subdivision on Saturday afternoon, people were helping out where they could. Many roofing companies were already fixing damaged houses. Some homeowners were out picking up debris and assessing the damage of their neighborhood.

People walked through the streets, examining the houses, some missing portions of roofs, some with shattered windows and some without front doors. Two girls walked around the subdivision handing out Jack’s Donuts to people around.

Traffic backed up through the streets of the neighborhood as police rerouted cars around the closed section of U.S. 31 in front of the Oakville and Spring Hill neighborhoods where power lines went down.

2:50 p.m. UPDATE

Whiteland residents aren’t the only ones displaced by the storm. Chief Eric Funkhouser said the department has temporarily moved in with New Whiteland Fire as their station is uninhabitable because of the storm damage.

The possible tornado uprooted streets, threw a dumpster, peeled back the metal roof and collapsed the ceiling above the fire department sleeping quarters, Funkhouser said.

Timing was on the firefighter’s side with this storm. They had been called to a run five minutes prior, so they weren’t inside the building when the damage occurred, he said.

“They had just caught a run when the tornado hit,” Funkhouser said. “They were fortunate enough to not be there when it happened.”

Funkhouser has reached out to the town’s insurance company to get a damage assessment and determine whether it is possible to repair the building.

In the meantime, New Whiteland is sharing their space and the Whiteland administrative team, along with the on-duty engine crew, he said.

The fire department is now confident that all houses that sustained damage are clear and all residents are accounted for, after multiple searches by humans and K-9s, Funkhouser said.

U.S. 31 remains closed in Whiteland because large transmission lines are down on the highway, he said. Most other roads in town are accessible now, but debris is still being cleared throughout town.

2:44 p.m. UPDATE

Beeson Mechanical Service has set up a power source for residents at their Whiteland shop.

“If you need power, we got you. Head on over to our shop at 501 Main Street. We have a public generator set up,” the company said on Facebook.

1:47 p.m. UPDATE

Whiteland police said on Twitter: “It is so awesome that I even have to post this but we are out of room to house and take donations. We will post again when they are needed. A true testament and the very definition of what a community is all about; taking care of each other.”

1:07 p.m. UPDATE

Crews in Bargersville have been working to clear debris-covered roads, though issues continue to remain, officials say.

Roadways are pretty much clear throughout the town, with the exception of State Road 135 between Bargersville and County Road 100 North, said Mike Pruitt, Bargersville Fire Deputy Chief.

The biggest issue now is the lack of power in the Bargersville area. Power companies are just beginning to work on addressing this, and in the meantime, both Bargersville and Whiteland are in tough spots for power, Pruitt said.

Firefighters are working with town officials on contingency plans for issues that may come up, including shelters and health care. This may not be an issue for everyone, but could be for groups including seniors, he said.

Pruitt says a lot of people are using their vehicles to charge their phones, which is fine as long as people do so safely. The town has also opened the doors of town hall to allow people to shelter for a moment and to charge their phones.

If using a generator, people should make sure it’s outside and not in an enclosed setting. People should not use a generator in their home unless it’s set up specifically for homes, Pruitt said.

As people continue to clean up storm damage, Pruitt says people should be careful. There are a lot of people using chainsaws, and firefighters are always worried about people injuring themselves while cleaning up, he said.

People should also be cautious of downed power lines. As crews begin to restore power, there’s a chance they could come reenergized, so people should stay clear of the lines regardless, he said.

“Report the downed lines to utility companies,” he said. “Be patient as they are working endless hours to get power back up in the community.”

In terms of the recovery process, Pruitt expects there to eventually be outside resources assisting, including state and federal resources. Once this process begins, things will begin to get better.

But for now, people have to be patient and safe, he said.

1:05 p.m. UPDATE

Hoosiers impacted by the severe storms that occurred overnight on Friday are asked to contact Indiana 211 to report damages and help with a damage assessment.

To help establish a comprehensive assessment of damages, residents can call 211 or visit the Indiana 211 website.

Agricultural damage should be reported to the Purdue Extension.

1:01 p.m. UPDATE

Johnson County Public Library’s Clark Pleasant Branch Library in Whiteland suffered heavy damage in Friday night’s storm. An HVAC unit was torn off the roof. About 10 windows were broken and other damage to the exterior of the building, said Jody Veldkamp, library spokesperson.

There is also damage to the interior of the building and some areas where water got in the building. Some books were blown off the shelf but there appears to be little or no water damage to the books and other materials in the branch, he said.

It will Monday or Tuesday at the earliest before library officials can determine when the branch may be able to reopen, he said.

JCPL’s Franklin Branch is open today without electricity today and that limits the services it can provide. Power was restored to the Trafalgar Branch a little after noon today, he said.

12:56 p.m. UPDATE

New Whiteland Fire Department has items for people impacted by the storm.

“If you were affected by the storms and need some basic items, please come to Station 11 at 500 Sweetbriar Ave. We currently have cases of water, snacks, baby wipes, some diapers and other items,” department officials said on Facebook.

People are asked to park at the park near the playground to stay clear of emergency apparatus.

12:25 p.m. UPDATE

Greenwood Community School Corporation Superintendent Terry Terhune got a call from the Red Cross at about 2:15 or 2:30 a.m. with a request to prepare Greenwood Middle School to host about 20 people who had been left without shelter. The original shelter, Whiteland Community High School, was without power.

“Of course, we said ‘yes, we’d like to help,” Terhune said. “Five of our maintenance men and our custodial staff just kind of started prepping the building and then opened the doors, working with the Red Cross and kind of just helping them however they needed.”

That included room for people to sleep in the auxiliary gym and making sure the restrooms were ready. People sleeping in the school were also provided with water and food, and fast food chains Chick-Fil-A and Mcdonald’s also donated food, he said.

“The community support has been overwhelming. We’ve had tons and tons of community members dropping off water, food,” Terhune said. “I’m just really, really happy about the support that’s been given.”

School district officials are currently working on plans to accommodate both students and people temporarily housed in the gym if shelter is still needed Monday, he said.

Kyran and Amanda Samuels traveled from their home in the Heritage neighborhood of Franklin to donate water and canned goods. The morning after they faced the fear of having their home destroyed in the storm, they came out unscathed but wanted to help people who were not so fortunate.

“I was so scared last night, like that’s the first time I’ve actually been in true fear, hearing a tornado touch down. We were all gathered in the pantry,” Amanda Samuels said. “Just to see it hit so close to home. That could have been us and I would want help. So that’s why we’re out here trying to help people because I would want them to do the same thing for me.”

Just getting to Greenwood Middle School was a struggle. Once the couple reached the Clark Pleasant neighborhood, they had to drive through several neighborhoods before rejoining the road.

“We had to go through neighborhoods and just kind of navigate on Google Maps and even load our phones that weren’t even loading,” Amanda Samuels said.

“We drove past some houses in a neighborhood that was almost flattened just to get through,” Kyran Samuels said.

Another couple, Shelby Rogers and Kyle Wakefield, also traveled from their home in Franklin. As with the Samuels, they were lucky enough to escape any damage to their home.

Wakefield and Rogers brought a 40-pack of water, baby formula and chips. With the donation, the couple hopes they can get help to people who need it the most, Wakefield said.

“Hopefully it just gets people back on their feet as quickly as possible and it helps people through at least the next couple of days.”

Rogers said she has a personal connection to Whiteland.

“I graduated from Whiteland (High School) so that’s about the only hometown I’ve got,” she said.

People can donate to the Red Cross here. To donate by phone or to get assistance with your donation, please contact us at 1-800-435-7669. Donors can specify that the donations should go to fund local disaster relief by designating the donation for Central Indiana Red Cross.

12:16 p.m. UPDATE

Donations for storm damage survivors are being accepted at the New Whiteland Fire Department and Kroger locations are offering a way to donate in-store.

Customers can ask their cashier to ring the “disaster relief” key at checkout and specify an amount to be donated, Kroger spokesperson Eric Halvorson said.

Kroger is also delivering supplies to the New Whiteland fire department for disaster victims, he said.

12:11 p.m. UPDATE

Engineers are assessing the damage, but we have been informed it will take 24-plus hours to restore power in Bargersville and several days to restore power in Whiteland, town officials said on Facebook.

Shelter and power is available at the town hall, along with breakfast burritos donated by The Grove Cafe while supplies last, town officials said.

Town of Bargersville electric customers should email [email protected] to notify the utility of fallen trees on powerlines. Please send a description of the problem and the address, town officials said on Facebook.

People are asked to stay away from downed powerlines as they may still be live.

11:55 a.m. UPDATE

The city of Franklin is still dealing with power outages, especially downtown and on the city’s east side, Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran said.

“We’re still dealing with the downtown area, and a lot of areas are without power on the east side of town,” Cochran said. “But everybody, the first responders and public safety in general, did a good job working together in utter chaos.”

Now residents and officials are working on cleaning up from the storm’s damage. Many small, garage-type structures have been hit by fallen trees, but many are pitching in to help clean up the damage, he said.

No notable injuries have been reported within the city, he said. There was a woman who was stuck in her car near East King Street and Yandes Street after a tree and power lines fell on top of it.

The woman’s only injuries were cuts from shattered glass, though she was trapped in the car for a few hours as crews worked to get her out, Cochran said.

10:50 a.m. UPDATE

U.S. 31 is blocked through Whiteland and New Whiteland, as well as Portions of State Road 135 are blocked south Bargersville, from Division Rd to Quarterhorse Run, about two miles south of town.

Duke Energy’s online outage map shows there are about 5,000 residents without power in Johnson County, including 3,000 in the Whiteland area and 2,000 in Franklin.

Johnson County REMC reports 3,954 customers without power, or nearly 13% of customers. Most outages are in Franklin, Union and Nineveh townships.

Bargersville Town Hall is open for those that need access to restrooms and electricity, town officials said on Facebook. Breakfast with the Bunny and the town’s Easter egg hunt was also postponed.

All Bargersville utility customers are without power and town officials gave an estimate at that it would take 24-plus hours to restore power, town officials said on Facebook.

10:31 a.m. UPDATE

The Clark-Pleasant branch of Johnson County Public Library sustained heavy damage and there is no estimate at the moment when it might reopen, said Jody Veldkamp, a library spokesperson.

The Trafalgar and Franklin branches are open today, but services are limited due to the power outage, he said.

More on the library damage will be shared when information is available.

10:26 a.m. UPDATE

Whiteland Fire Chief Eric Funkhauser said he’s thankful there weren’t any injuries reported as either heavy straight-line winds or a possible tornado ripped through the town last night. 

“Right now, we’ve been very fortunate, we have not had any injuries from storm damage last night as of yet. We searched all the homes that were damaged and did not have to transport anyone to the hospital last night from the storm damage.”

The storm started in western Johnson County and went through State Road 135, continuing south of Bargersville across farms before knocking out a cell phone tower and continuing through Whiteland, Funkhauser said. 

In Whiteland, the damage continued, as winds destroyed at least 10 to 20 homes and left about 20 people in a shelter, which shifted from Whiteland Community High School to Greenwood Middle School early Saturday.

The sleeping quarters of the Whiteland fire station were destroyed, Just Lift It Off Road and Fabrication and three warehouses were among the businesses with the heaviest damage. 

“I’ve been in Johnson County for going on almost 24 years working in emergency services. I haven’t seen this extent of damage,” Funkhouser said. “I talked to the (Johnson County) Emergency Management Director (Stephanie Sichting) and neither of us have seen this level of destruction since we’ve been doing it.”

Almost the entirety of Whiteland and most of New Whiteland is currently without power, and Johnson County REMC told Funkhauser at least 47 power poles have been damaged or destroyed, he said. 

Now, the focus shifts to clean-up efforts, and a search for anyone who might’ve been left behind. The hardest hit areas are east of the railroad tracks and include State Street, Elm Street, Pearl Street and West Street, as well as the Park Forest area, he said. 

“We’re talking roofs torn off, houses completely blown apart and completely destroyed,” Funkhouser said. “These houses are unlivable and I doubt they will ever be fixable. The majority will have to be completely torn down.”

10:23 a.m. UPDATE

Damage in Trafalgar is fairly minimal but still making impact on town residents. There are some fallen trees, debris is blocking some roadways and some residents are without power, said Mark Dunn, Trafalgar fire chief.

9:12 a.m. UPDATE

Just before midnight Friday, a tornado ripped through portions of the town of Whiteland, severely damaging many homes in its path.

Kimberly Quakenbush was following the weather on the news when she heard the instructions to take cover in Whiteland.

Her house sits along a section of West Street south of Whiteland Road in the Spring Hill subdivision in Whiteland.

She and her adult son hunkered down in the hallway of their home, and heard the storm path tear through past their house.

“It was loud, like a freight train. Very loud. And then it was like, boom, all the windows got blown out at the same time,” she said. “Very scary. Very scary.”

All the windows on the front side of her house busted, and so did most of the windows in her car parked in her driveway.

Tears welled up in Quakenbush’s eyes as she recalled sitting through the storm and her initial assessment of the damage. She was grateful she and her son, Jason are uninjured.

“I’ve never been hit by tornado. I’ve seen tornadoes and funnel clouds and strong winds up to 70 in some different states and stuff,” she said. “This has got to be the scariest.”

At around 2 a.m. Saturday in the aftermath of the storm, several houses along a section of West Street between Greensprings Drive and Forum Drive saw the most damage in the Spring Hill neighborhood.

Trees were uprooted in yards, some cars damaged, and many houses in the path of the storm had sections falling apart. Cleanup crews and firefighters worked through the morning to clean up debris on the street.

One house on West Street had residents trapped inside, and they were rescued, a New Whiteland firefighter said at the scene. No one in the house was injured.

Nick Foster was at his home on West Street with his wife and 10-year-old son when the storm came through. At first, he wanted to watch from the porch, he said, but then he realized the gravity of the situation.

He and his family, including three cats and a dog, hunkering down in the tub of their bathroom, when they heard their roof rip off.

“My wife, she grabbed my 10-year-old and they went in the bathroom to get in the tub. And by the time I got down the hallway, I was pushing the door shut and everything fell apart,” Foster said. “It’s like our roof has been lifted up off the top and sat back down.”

Just before 2 a.m., he was outside assessing damage and talking to neighbors to make sure they were OK. He was also trying to find a way to get out of the neighborhood to go stay at a family member’s house. They lost their back door and had no way to keep their pets inside the house, he said.

“I’m also not sure if the house is structurally safe,” Foster said.

 

 

2:56 a.m. UPDATE

Multiple areas of Johnson County have received damage from the town of Morgantown east through Johnson County. Law enforcement officers are still trying to check roadways for trees or power lines down across Johnson County, Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said.

Multiple agencies from Johnson County, Marion County, and Bartholomew County have assisted with the search of homes in Whiteland. For all non-emergency reports contact 317-346-6336, Johnson County Public Safety Communications Center, Burgess said.

2:52 a.m. UPDATE

Whiteland Police say all homes that were knocked down by the storm have been cleared. “The update everyone has been waiting for. First sweep, everyone is safe and accounted for! Second sweep being conducted with the Red Cross as I type this,” the department said on Twitter.

Instead of physically going to check on a loved one, police also ask the public to call dispatch at 317-346-6336 and give the address and name, and public safety officials can perform a welfare check.

Additionally, police say people can donate snacks and water to storm victims by going to Door 4 at Whiteland Community High School.

1:58 a.m. UPDATE

Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess shared in a statement what officials know now about the storm damage and asked people to avoid the Whiteland area.

“Multiple agencies are working to check on residences and buildings in the Whiteland area. The town has received a lot of storm damage. We are asking people to stay out of Whiteland, do not come to look at the storm damage. There are live power lines that are down in yards and roadways and are extremely dangerous. There is a shelter set up at the Whiteland High school for those in need. We do not know the extent of damage as we will need to wait until daylight so we can survey the area. There are other parts of Johnson County that have also received storm damage and we are tending to those areas. Power companies are working very hard to restore power, allow them to do their jobs. We ask the public to be patient. Please stay away from the Whiteland area if you do not live there. Please avoid the roads around Whiteland as well,” Burgess said.

1:35 a.m. UPDATE

Several areas of the city of Franklin were damaged, including the Johnson County Courthouse. It sustained substantial damage, Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran said.

1:28 a.m. UPDATE:

Bargersville firefighters are currently out on the road assessing damage throughout the town and surrounding areas, Bargersville Fire Deputy Chief Mike Pruitt said.

Power lines are down in some areas, and first responders are working to check to see if there are any damaged homes. Other fire crews are assisting in Whiteland, he said.

Pruitt, along with several other firefighters, were at Station 201 on State Road 135 when police reported sighting a tornado 1.5 miles northwest of Trafalgar. As the storm approached, winds picked up and the power went out.

“We heard the freight train sound,” Pruitt said.

A few minutes after this, they started to receive reports of damage in Whiteland. The department also received a call for a barn fire, but was unable to get there quickly due to road debris. Luckily, the barn owner had the fire mostly under control by the time firefighters got there, Pruitt said.

1:03 a.m. UPDATE:

The town of Bargersville’s utility company says crews are working as fast as they can to restore power to residents. The town’s utility partially serves areas of Whiteland.

“We are aware that much of the area is without power,” town officials posted on Facebook. “Crews are working as fast as they can. At this time we do not have an estimated timeframe for power to return.”

12:55 a.m. UPDATE

Preliminary reports from Whiteland say the southern part of the town took a direct hit from the possible tornado, according to Whiteland Police.

Power lines are down throughout the town, and debris is blocking roadways. Whiteland Police are asking everyone to stay home if possible as first responders work around the town, the department tweeted.

Power and communication are both limited, and police are encouraging those who need help and cannot reach 911 via phone to try texting 911.

Whiteland Community High School is being opened as a shelter for anyone who needs to use the restroom or get out of their storm-damaged house. Those seeking shelter should go through Door 4, police say.

The high school is also being used as a reunification site, and people should go to Door 4, the department tweeted.

Unless people need shelter, they should stay home. There are still active power lines down, the department tweeted.

12:45 a.m. UPDATE

Duke Energy is reporting 59 active outages in Johnson County, affecting approximately 7,053 residents. The utility serves more than 39,000 customers in the county.

Johnson County REMC is reporting 7,942 customers without power, 26% of the customers the utility serves.

12:40 a.m. UPDATE

Franklin police are reporting multiple power lines down in several areas of the city, along with several car accidents following the storms, said Kirby Cochran, Franklin Police Chief.

Multiple trees are down on the city’s east side, and lines are also down on Hurricane Road, Cochran said.

Right now, Franklin police are trying to offer whatever assistance they can to Whiteland. Some officers have also been dispatched to Greenwood to assist, he said.

The rest of the officers on the street are surveying damage and checking on residents, including Cochran himself.

12:28 A.M. UPDATE:

Johnson County public safety agencies are out in full force and rallying to help each other. Police, fire and the sheriff’s office are responding to reports of damage and downed powerlines across the county, especially in the greater Whiteland area, Sheriff Duane Burgess said.

He advised people who think they might have a downed powerline to stay inside and call for help instead of trying to handle it themselves.

“The biggest thing I can tell people is don’t go walking around outside if you’ve got live wires. If you’ve got damage to your house you should stay inside,” Burgess said. 

12:18 A.M. UPDATE:

The National Weather Service says significant damage has been reported after severe storms passed through Johnson County.

The storms came through Johnson County between 11-11:30 p.m. Friday night. The storms have caused significant damage in Johnson County. A major injury incident was declared by local emergency officials, and Marion County is sending resources to assist, said Andrew White, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

The NWS says the was caused by what likely was a tornado, pending official confirmation. Meteorologists will send out a damage survey team later on Saturday to determine what caused the damage, White said.

Bent power lines are seen along U.S. 31 southbound in Whiteland early Saturday morning.
Photo by Emily Ketterer | Daily Journal

12:05 A.M. UPDATE:

Several buildings have reportedly collapsed in Whiteland following severe weather Friday night.

Damage has been reported in Whiteland, where there are reports of multiple buildings collapsing and people being trapped, according to officials and scanner traffic.

Downtown Whiteland reportedly received significant damage, per traffic.

Power lines have also been reported down throughout the county.

This story will be updated.

— Daily Journal reporters Noah Crenshaw, Emily Ketterer, Andy Bell-Baltaci and editor Leeann Doerflein contributed to this report.