Severe Storm Front Causes Suspected Tornadoes in Midwest
A severe storm front swept through the Midwest on Thursday, triggering multiple suspected tornadoes in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The storm caused significant damage to homes and left thousands without power, according to authorities.
Reports indicate that a suspected tornado hit western Ohio's Logan County, just northwest of Columbus. Helen Norris, the director of the Logan County Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the tornado strike in an email to CBS News.
Images shared on social media revealed extensive residential damage in the Logan County community of Indian Lake. The storm's impact was also felt in neighboring Mercer County, Ohio, where three individuals in Celina suffered non-life-threatening injuries, with two of them requiring hospitalization.
By Thursday night, approximately 28,000 customers were left without power in Ohio, as reported by utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
Furthermore, the storm caused damage to homes and trailers in Hanover, Indiana, along the Ohio River.
Gayle Liter and his wife shared with CBS affiliate WKLY that their residence in Hanover, which they had recently moved into, was leveled by the tornado.
"Total devastation, everything inside," Liter expressed.
Sgt. Stephen Wheeles from the Indiana State Police posted images on social media displaying the wreckage in Jefferson County, including a house with its roof ripped off and another missing roof shingles, along with a photo of a hailstone the size of a baseball.
Over in Kentucky, Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark reported that the storms caused damage to at least 50 structures, including residences.
"We are dealing with extensive damage," Stark informed the Lousiville Courier Journal.
He advised residents in Kentucky to remain vigilant about the weather as more storms were predicted to hit the state on Thursday evening and into the night.
"There does appear to be some significant damage, particularly to the town of Milton in Trimble County," Beshear reported. "We estimate that there are more than 100 structures that may be damaged."
The state's emergency operations center was activated to organize the storm response, according to Beshear.
During Wednesday night, a supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado as severe weather passed through Alta Vista, Kansas. Large hail, some even larger than softballs, pounded parts of northern Kansas.
