Bloomington Indiana hit by tornado that damaged airport, homes and businesses
bloomington indiana was struck by a tornado Thursday night that damaged the county airport, at least three homes, a bank, an auto dealership and the county humane society animal shelter, and left thousands without power; no injuries were reported, the Monroe County Emergency Management director said.
Tornado spotted near Bloomington, dangerous warning issued
A large, fast-moving tornado was spotted about 8 miles west of Bloomington just after 7 p. m., and the National Weather Service in Indianapolis issued a warning for a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" at 7: 01 p. m. ET that noted Emergency Management had reported the tornado at the county airport. The tornado warning that covered Monroe County, including Bloomington, Ellettsville and Trevlac, ran until 7: 30 p. m., while a tornado watch for the area remained in effect until 9 p. m.
Bloomington Indiana: damage along Fieldstone Boulevard and West Third Street
Images from storm chasers and local meteorologists showed roof damage to at least three homes on Fieldstone Boulevard east of the Monroe County Airport, and Emergency Management crews reported damage to the airport fence. The Monroe County Humane Association said its campus at 791 S. Fieldstone Blvd. was damaged; Executive Director Andrew Krebbs wrote, "While we assess damage, I’m relieved all animals are safe and in trusted care. " Photos also showed storm damage to the Fifth Third Bank at 3415 W Third St. in the Whitehall Plaza mall, just west of the I-69 interchange for Third Street.
Dealership wreckage, downed powerlines and outages
Storm images captured a warehouse roof that had landed on vehicles at the Kia dealership in Bloomington, and crews were seen repairing powerlines on West Third Street after lines were taken down. At 9: 35 p. m., PowerOutage. com listed more than 2, 000 customers without power in Monroe County, and local crews were working on restoration.
No injuries were reported in Monroe County, the county Emergency Management director said, even as more than 30 Indiana counties remained under a tornado watch that night. Other warnings and watches extended across central and southern Indiana as the wave of thunderstorms moved through the state, bringing hail and high winds in some areas.
Emergency Management and utility crews continued damage assessments and repairs into the night, with the tornado watch for Monroe County set to expire at 9 p. m. and a separate watch for Marion County in place until at least 11 p. m.
