Local officials are still tallying up the damage to public buildings from last weekend’s storms, and it may be a while before the final numbers are ready.
The Clark Pleasant Library and Whiteland Fire Department sustained significant damage after an EF-3 tornado ripped a path of destruction throughout Whiteland on March 31. The Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin also sustained damage from straight-line winds.
The EF-3 tornado was the strongest tornado to hit Johnson County in more than 20 years. The last time an EF-3 touched down in Johnson County was on Sept. 20, 2002, according to the National Weather Service.
It was also only the fifth EF-3 tornado to hit Johnson County since record-keeping began in 1950.
The Whiteland EF-3, along with an EF-0 that touched down south of Bargersville, were part of a larger outbreak that produced a total of at least 22 tornadoes in Indiana alone. This ties it with May 11, 2011, as the fifth largest tornado outbreak in Indiana history, meteorologists say.
Last weekend’s tornadoes also mark the third time since record-keeping began that two tornadoes struck Johnson County on the same day, according to the NWS. Two tornadoes struck the county on Feb. 25, 1956, and more recently, two tornadoes struck the county on July 30, 1992.
Clark Pleasant Library
The Clark Pleasant library branch had power restored Thursday by Bargersville utilities, and although internet service through MetroNet was still down at press time, the branch will reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday.
With power restored and a gas line repaired, Whiteland fire officials inspected the building Friday, and library staff the go-ahead to reopen the branch, which has been closed since the tornado.
The library opened just over a year ago and was left with books blown off shelves, several shattered windows, dislodged ceiling tiles, a damaged HVAC unit and a broken gas line following the tornado. It is a matter of when, not if, the damage is repaired, said Lisa Lintner, director of the Johnson County Public Library.
Library staff spent Friday cleaning up leftover glass and debris from the interior of the building. Officials are thankful the damage to the building wasn’t worse, Lintner said.
“When I saw some of those homes, I really didn’t know what to expect here,” she said. “When you look inside it’s truly like just a few books flew off the shelves. The collection is looking great and most of the areas look fantastic. It’s not like the foundation is compromised or something. We’re not going to be closed for months and months. We’ve cleaned up the rubble. It’s repairable and it’s replaceable.”
Contractors have been working on repairs to the branch since April 1. Repairs include covering nine broken windows with plywood and removing an HVAC unit that was left dangling from the roof, causing water damage and displacing ceiling tiles in the youth program room. Staff members have placed buckets in the room to catch leaks from the roof until it’s repaired.
The total cost of the repairs won’t be determined until quotes are ready, but repairs will still be in progress after the branch reopens, spokesperson Jody Veldkamp said.
Although public Wi-Fi connectivity is uncertain, library officials expect to have all areas of the branch open to the public, he said.
Whiteland Fire Department
The Whiteland Fire Department won’t be moving back into its station anytime soon, Chief Eric Funkhouser said Friday.
Damage to the station on State Street was significant. The tornado peeled back the metal roof and collapsed the ceiling above the firefighter sleeping quarters. After the rain the last couple of days, the roof-less station has filled with water, and it is starting to smell of mold, Funkhouser said.
“I mean, since there’s no roof, every time it rains, it just gets more water damage inside the building. And there’s just no way to really cover it up and salvage anything,” Funkhouser said.
He and the town’s insurance representative walked around the area on Friday, to get an initial assessment and take photos. Funkhouser did not have information on the cost or the total extent of the damage. He isn’t sure if the station could be repaired or if it would have to be rebuilt entirely. Insurance will cover the cost of the work, though.
It will likely be a while before Whiteland Fire can operate there, he said. For now, the department will continue working from the New Whiteland Fire Department. They may look for a temporary building, depending on how long it will take to rebuild.
“You can’t just rebuild a fire station overnight,” Funkhouser said. “So yeah, I’m guessing this is going to be a long time.”
Funkhouser said he continues to be thankful to New Whiteland Fire for sharing their station with Whiteland for now. It’s tough, and close-quartered, operating two full fire departments out of one station, he said.
For the most part, everything that needed to be salvaged from the building has been recovered, such as items needed for runs and firefighters’ personal items. Trucks at the station were recovered and are being stored at different fire stations around the county.
County buildings
The Johnson County Courthouse in Franklin is structurally sound following damage caused by last weekend’s storms, county commissioner Kevin Walls said Thursday. High winds caused damage primarily to the more than 100-year-old courthouse’s steeple, which had a portion of the brick facade fall away on the south side of the courthouse, and a few blown-out windows.
“I don’t believe we had any other damage other than the steeple,” he said.
An engineer has looked at the damage, and county officials are bringing in contractors for repairs. One of the contractors, who is flying in from Chicago, worked on the courthouse a few years ago as part of a restoration project, Walls said.
Both engineers and contractors will be looking at the courthouse next week for a more complete assessment of the damage, he said. More information about the costs could be available then.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, also in Franklin, received some minor damage to a gate because of high winds. The gate is also planned to be repaired, Walls said.
— This story is by Noah Crenshaw, Andy Bell-Baltaci and Emily Ketterer.
