Minneapolis, MN
Williamsville, IL
The following was reported through TV8 - Grand Rapids blog--
There was significant damage from a tornado in Chesterton, IN, which is just SW of Michigan City. A The roof was taken off an 8-unit apartment building at Brown and Third St. There was serious damage to the Middle School where the roof was taken off. Homes were severely damaged and debris was strewn across I-94 near Chesterton. Power was still out for much of the town this morning. One resident said “trees are down everywhere”. There was a report that a weathernet sensor recorded a wind of 105 mph in Chesterton. We also had a report of some damage in Portage, Indiana. Another one of these spin-up twisters along the warm front. At least nineteen reported tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. At least 6 injuries are reported in Williamsville, IL., where a convenience store, the Christian Church (one injury there) and an antique mall were destroyed. Also, 15-25 homes have been heavily damaged or destroyed. They report boards being driven into the side of buildings. Two motorcyclists were blown off their bikes. The whole north end of Williamsville has major damage and the town has been sealed off. Several hundred volunteers were working in Williamsville, which is just northeast of Springfield. At least one injury and 15 home with significant damage at Elkhart, Illinois. The town of Loami (SW of Springfield) also had significant damage with 10-15 homes heavily damaged or destroyed. Also, golfball-sized hail and gusts to 80 mph with this line. Building damage has been reported at several locations. There were a couple tornadoes near Minneapolis Wednesday PM, too. A good portion of the steeple was knocked off the Central Lutheran Church while 120 people were inside the church. Windows were blown out and trees toppled. A total of 19 tornadoes (inc. the Chesterton tornado) were reported on August 19. **********************************************************************
CHESTERTON, INDIANA
The rough weather hit northwestern
Indiana the hardest, leaving Porter County residents with a lot of clean-up.
When the wind, rain, thunder and lightning hit around 8:00 p.m. central time Wednesday, residents knew this was no ordinary storm.
Chesterton Police say it was a tornado that ripped through their town.....
The fierce winds left their mark in Chesterton and it only took a matter of minutes.
Town officials did their best to prepare, “we pretty much knew it was coming, you could see it on the radar and a lot of us were watching it and as always it hit pretty fast,” said Town Manager Bernard Doyle.
Many trees throughout the town were uprooted, power lines torn down and among the damage, the middle school, where the roof is gone.
“There was even debris that drove right into the ground and then flew off so it just happened very quickly, I think no one saw it coming this fast,” said Lela Schmidt, who had just gotten home when it hit. “It came out of no where, but I knew something wrong when I felt that force of the kitchen window going in and I knew that definitely something was going on.”
Schmidt said the storm may have caused a lot of damage, but she’s thankful to have her life, “what can I say, at least we're not hurt, they're material things and can be replaced.”
The
electricity is out in most of the town and several streets are blocked off because of downed lines.
The following is a reply to an email I sent requesting info. from Chesterton Tribune. -ed.
There is a press conference going on right now at the Chesterton Town Hall We may have homeless, not likely to be more than a dozen or so households, mostly in one apartment building.Several of the damaged buildings are commercial or schools, not dwellings.We are an afternoon paper. I'll be posting our coverage on the Web around 2 p.m.David Canright
The following is a reply to an email I sent requesting info from Phil Griffith, Director of EMA in regards to Chesterton, IN. -ed.
It appears as if we have 20 to 30 homes/aprtments affected, damaged, or destroyed. All occupants have found lodging with friends or relatives at this point. We started with 12,500 out of power and that is now down to about 400+-.
The Porter County Chapter of the American Red Cross is on scene and the Town of Chesterton has made a shelter of the Town Hall (no takers at this point). Clean-up kits are available and we are logging in volunteers.
Civil Air Patrol, CERT Teams, Boy Scouts, are now assisting.
Will know more as the event plays out.
Phil
WILLIAMSVILLE/LOAMI, IL
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
At least 19 people were injured and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed as a line of severe weather spawning one or more tornadoes slammed into the Springfield area Wednesday afternoon. The Sangamon County communities of
Williamsville and
Loami were the hardest hit.
Two of the 12 people taken to St. John’s Hospital were admitted in fair condition, according to Roscoe Cook, nursing coordinator. One was injured when a car was flipped by the wind and the other was blown off his motorcycle, Cook said.The other 10 were treated and released.At Memorial Medical Center, seven people were being treated for weather-related injuries Wednesday night. None was expected to be admitted, a nursing supervisor said.The destruction in Williamsville, about 10 miles north of Springfield, appeared to be the worst.
For Loami, about 10 miles southwest of Springfield, it was the second time in less than six months that a tornado, or suspected tornado, had struck.Authorities said 10 homes were destroyed, and another dozen were severely damaged.
IN SUMMARY
Williamsville
About 25 structures severely damaged or destroyed, mostly on the northwest side of town.
Williamsville Christian Church badly damaged.
Casey's General Store heavily damaged; Williamsville Route 66 Antique Mall destroyed.
Entire town without power.
Emergency shelter set up at Williamsville Community Center, 141 W. Main St.
Loami
Ten homes destroyed. Another dozen badly damaged.
Trees, limbs and power lines down throughout the area, limiting access to some sections of the community.
Scattered areas without electricity and phone service.
Springfield
Trees and power lines down along East Lake Shore Drive near Vivian Lane and Parkway Drive.
AreawideInjuries
Nineteen people treated at Springfield hospitals' emergency rooms for storm-related injuries. Two admitted in fair condition with the rest treated and released or expected to be.
Power failures
City Water, Light and Power reported 3,300 customers without electricity at the height of the storm at 3:30 p.m. That number was down to about 265 by about 9 p.m.
AmerenCILCO reported 1,137 outages in Sangamon County at 8:30 p.m., including 689 in Williamsville and 97 in Loami.
WILLIAMSVILLE: Storm leaves destruction, injuries
A church was damaged beyond repair, two businesses were destroyed, roofs were ripped off homes, and several people were injured, though none seriously.Recovering from Wednesday’s tornado is going to take some time.Early estimates were that 20 to 25 homes in the town of 1,400 that’s 10 miles north of Springfield were severely damaged or destroyed. The injuries included two motorcyclists caught in the storm, a worker at Williamsville Christian Church who was hurt by a collapsing wall and a man who was injured when the winds hit his house, said Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson.“From my experience and what I’ve seen, it was a tornado,” Williamson said. “You can tell by the way the trees are bent, the roofs are taken off the houses, and the way the boards are driven into the sides of buildings.”Most of the damage was on the north and northwest sides of town. Rescuers, as well as concerned neighbors, went from home to home immediately after the storm, and the Sangamon County Rescue Squad conducted a second search with specially trained dogs.“We don’t have any reports of anybody who is missing, but again, somebody could be missing and we just don’t know about it yet,” said Bill Russell, deputy coordinator of the Sangamon County Office of Emergency Management
MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
MINNEAPOLIS - A tornado touched down just south of downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday, according to several reports. Several fire departments reported seeing a tornado near the area of 35th Street and Portland Ave. and 15th and Lasalle Ave around 2 p.m.
No injuries, lots of damage
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, the city of Minneapolis has no reports of injuries, but downed trees and property damage have been reported along Portland Avenue and downtown at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The city is asking people to avoid traveling in the area.
ate need of funding to help with the purchase of building materials for those without insurance as well as general household items. The need for new shoes and undergarments continue. There are 65 students in the local school affected by the flood. DRT would like to provide vouchers for them to purchase shoes, undergarments and school clothing. 
