Southern Indiana Devastated By Tornadoes, Cleanup Continues

Many residents in Clark County Indiana spent this weekend cleaning up debris and wreckage left behind by multiple tornadoes that came through the area Friday.

“You could see the funnel cloud coming, and then it went up,” Henryville resident Nick Shelton says. “We thought we were safe, until we saw the big one behind it, then, not so much.”

Shelton, the owner of Henryville Auto Service, was in his shop Friday afternoon when tornados ripped though the town. Homes and businesses were destroyed and at least one resident was killed. While Shelton and eight others took shelter in a neighbor’s basement, a 15-ton school bus came crashing through the front wall.

“Ears started popping, and we hear a big thud, and I guess that’s the school bus behind us,” he says.

With his auto shop completely destroyed, Shelton does not know if he will be able to continue the business.

“I opened in August, and been busy; got a lot of business, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to open it up again now,” he says.

Governor Mitch Daniels visited several towns in southern Indiana Saturday to survey the damage. Indiana National Guardsmen were already on the scene, helping utility works clear streets and help residents with the cleanup.

Update, 3/4/12, 2 p.m.: Governor Daniels has declared a disaster emergency in 11 Indiana counties: Clark, Gibson, Harrison, Jefferson, Posey, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Washington. Additionally, he issued an executive order waiving hours-of-service regulations related to motor carriers and drivers transporting utility poles. His press statement also indicated that the Department of Homeland Security would be conducting a full damage assessment, then responding to Indiana’s request for federal disaster assistance.