Tornado Rips Through Nappanee, and Kosiusko County Indiana

October 18th was a beautiful day in Northern Indiana although very windy and warm. We never expected to be hit with the severe storms that brought a EF3 scale tornado to the area about 7:30 P.M.

I was sitting at the computer watching the trees blowing as a storm was brewing. I went downstairs to see my husband sleeping on the sofa. He was concerned about the storms and said he would keep an eye on the weather. I checked the news to see the tornado warning and woke him and my son up. We took cover in the basement and watched the weather on television. It was eerie watching the path of the tornado. It continued to the east of us but we were warned that the exact path was not certain.

The tornado hit Nappanee and Kosiusko County very hard. The photographs and film footage of the damage is horrifying. The tornado made a half a mile swatch through 3 counties in Indiana. It completely destroyed a gas station along with many homes. Sandy Miller was in tears as she reported that all her belongs and precious momentos are lost. Her photographs of her mother that died 6 years ago are irreplaceable and gone forever.

This tornado is eerily familiar to the one 6 years ago in Crumstown and the damage was as severe. Fortunately with the devastation that has occurred in Nappanee and Kosiusko there are no fatalities and no serious injuries reported.

The Borkholder and Anglin families in Kosciusko County lost their homes as reported to Sarah Rice. They are grateful to be alive. If they had not taken cover they would have probably been killed. We can all thank God that we have television and radio warnings or there would have been serious injuries and death. Doppler Weather kept us well informed. Because the tornado occurred at night we would have been unable to see the tornado so we are very lucky to have television warnings.

People from New Paris and Middlebury, Indiana ,which is a considerable distance away from Nappanee reported having debris from the tornado in their yards.