Trees fall, buildings flood, thousands lose power in Northwest Indiana after Wednesday night storms
Storms Wednesday night left thousands without power across Northwest Indiana, and left a path of damage and destruction in some areas.
The storms prompted tornado warnings in parts of the greater Chicago area, and they ripped down trees and flooded basements.
In Griffith, Indiana, an enormous tree crashed down onto a house. The tree was pushing in the ceiling of the top story of the house from the top.
Meanwhile, the ground under the tree was pulled up to the point where it was nearly vertical, rising more than 5 feet in the air.
People live in the house onto which the tree fell, but no one was home at the time. The tree was finally cut apart and removed late Thursday afternoon, and the grass and soil under the tree fell back into place.
One neighbor said he could not see or hear the tree falling during the storm, because visibility was just that bad, and the rain and hail were so heavy and loud.
"Seemed like a normal thunderstorm rolling through, and then before we knew it, I mean, I couldn't see about a foot out of my window," said Ryan Blank.
Outside St. Mary Catholic Church in Griffith, trees were also toppled over — but none of them fell on the church itself.
Still, branches were left strewn everywhere around the church.
"I would like to say God was watching over everybody," Father Keith Virus told CBS News Chicago.
Griffith's Council President Rick Ryfa said Thursday morning that crews have encountered several houses with trees on them and multiple basements flooded. Officials plan to deploy drones to get a better look at the damage.
Crews from the Griffith Parks and Recreation Department were up bright and early cleaning up the mess in Griffith's Central Park off Broad Street.
Meanwhile in Hammond, the storm ripped the roof off J.P. Patel's Star Liquors after a projectile trampoline blew into it.
"Water coming through the door, all three doors, and we start taking care of the floor, and after we realized after 10, 15 minutes later, there's a big noise, and I'm going upstairs, the roof flies," said Patel.
Water poured from the roof of the liquor store, through the main level, and into the basement.
"Oh man, lots of damage," Patel said.
Patel as of Thursday evening still did not have full power restored. Power poles were tipped in Hammond, with power lines seen leaning into the street.
Neighbors in Hammond said the storm Wednesday night was the worst in years.
"It turned black," said Gio Ramirez. "It started raining, pouring hard. It was hailing."
A tree split and fell onto Yaritza Venegas' car and trapped it.
"We're assuming that lightning struck it, because if you see that tree, they have burn marks," Venegas said.
As of Thursday afternoon, they had counted 300 trees down on homes, in yards, and in the streets. Meanwhile as of the same time, 20,000 NIPSCO customers were without power.
The area of Griffith where the tree fell had been without power since the storms began around 7 p.m.
Griffith residents with damage may be eligible for some state assistance. Homeowners can call 211 or 866-211-9966 or fill out a disaster damage report form on the Indiana 211 website.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security is also going to look at the damage from the storms Wednesday night, and from an EF-2 tornado that ripped through Merrillville on Thursday, June 11, to see if there is any need for any extra disaster recovery aid.
