The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado hit the Bristol area during Thursday night’s storms, resulting in one injury.
A storm survey indicates that an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 115 miles per hour touched down near County Road 15 and Bainbridge Drive, and traveled east for more than two miles, past County Road 19. One person was reportedly hurt, when the tornado destroyed a garage and caused roof damage at a home on Hyde Park Drive. Several trees were snapped or uprooted, and a home on Stanford Drive lost much of its roof.
Elkhart County Emergency Management Director Jennifer Tobey said in a Facebook video that the county has issued an emergency declaration. “In the state of Indiana, we have 37 counties that have had damage from this storm system, and it looks right now that we’re in the top three, as far as amount of homes that are destroyed, have major damage or minor damage,” Tobey said.
The National Weather Service has also determined that an EF-1 tornado touched down northeast of Plymouth, snapping trees and damaging a barn on a three-quarter-mile path near 8A and King roads. A tornado that caused EF-3 damage in Porter County also continued into LaPorte County.
Tobey encouraged property owners to photograph any damage before proceeding with cleanup. “What we’re focusing on right now really is the homes, what kind of damage has affected your homes,” Tobey said in Friday's video.
Damage can be reported to county emergency management agencies. Elkhart County residents can also report damage to Indiana 211.
