Brown County community bands together in wake of tornado that ripped house from ground, damaged 40 o

BROWN COUNTY, Ind. - Although it's been days since severe storms moved through central Indiana, the work to rebuild what was damaged is just beginning for many along its path in south central Indiana.




The same EF-2 tornado caused damage in Monroe, Bartholomew and Brown Counties. It tore through more than 35 miles for over 40 minutes, ripping one Brown County home from the ground. The family the home belonged to narrowly escaped the danger.




Wyatt Smith recalls not realizing how close the storm was until he saw a funnel cloud approaching via his drone. He quickly grabbed his two young children and ran outside to an old shelter they had mainly just used for practice in the past.




"Could hear these trees breaking off while we were getting in, so we got in just in time," Smith said.




Smith credits the stone cellar with saving their lives. He and his family hunkered down in the cellar and plugged their ears until the tornado passed, unaware that, when they'd emerge, they'd find the house reduced to just its foundation, their camper wrapped around a tree, and a barn and car tossed like toys around the now-unrecognizable property.




"I stepped out and saw the house was missing," Smith said. "I was in shock. The outreach from our family and friends has been really humbling. It's just impressive to see the power that this thing had and what it could do."




According to Brown County EMA, outside of the state park, the storm damaged 40 houses and destroyed five. Dozens of vehicles and more than two dozen outbuildings took a hit. Nearly every volunteer firefighter with the Southern Brown Volunteer Fire Department were working as reports came in of people trapped or missing Friday night.




"I've been in Brown County since the day I was born - that's 68 years ago - and I've never seen a storm like this in the whole county," said Fire Chief Terry Miller. "This one was determined to do some damage."




Miller explained the behavior of this most recent tornado was unusual for the area's terrain.




"Most tornadoes when they come through somewhere with the terrain we have, just kind of skip off the top of the hills, pick up and bounce or land on the next one," Miller said. "This one was a little unusual in that it followed the contour."




Miller's department is now helping organize relief efforts and donations as the rest of the community bands together to clean up.




"Fast, it was super fast," said Dan Gritton, whose house and truck were damaged by fallen trees during the storm. "Then, it was gone. Then, the work started. The house shook, the windows blew open, (Gritton's wife) dove on the floor and it was over by the end. I had no idea there was this much damage until we walked out. Then we were like, 'Oh wow, this is bad.'"




Whether they lost a little, a lot or rode out the storm unscathed, the people of Brown County believe now is the time to lift each other up, all thankful nobody was killed or seriously injured.




"We're just really grateful to be alive and to have the support that we have," Smith said. "We feel loved and blessed."




A volunteer and donation center has opened at 103 Willow St. in Nashville near the YMCA. Officials welcome any donations or volunteers who'd like to help out. The Red Cross is also assessing damage and offering assistance.




The Indiana Department of Natural Resources also reported Tuesday that crews have begun to clear debris from the Horsemen's Campground and surrounding trails damaged by the tornado, which killed a horse and a dog there. According to DNR, Horsemen's Campground and its horse trails are temporarily closed, but the rest of Brown County State Park is open to visitors.



via: https://fox59.com/news/brown-county-community-bands-together-in-wake-of-tornado-that-ripped-house-from-ground-damaged-40-others/