JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. – Houses and businesses were crumbled as a Tornado and severe storms moved through Johnson County late Friday night. Saturday morning it was reported that power lines and trees were downed and thousands of homes were without electricity in Whiteland and Franklin. It was restored in most areas by Saturday afternoon by Duke Energy and Johnson County REMC.
Whiteland seems to have been hit the hardest with several buildings leveled. Greenwood Middle School has been opened as a shelter. The Johnson County Courthouse reportedly also suffered damage in Franklin. The Salvation Army is assisting in Johnson County.
By Saturday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologists said the storm was probably at least an EF2 tornado. Winds were measured at 90 to 150 mph as the storm moved across the state.
After visiting Johnson and Sullivan counties on Saturday and seeing the damage, Governor Eric J. Holcomb signed an Executive Order declaring a disaster emergency for both counties.
“First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have perished in this storm and all who are suffering losses because of this incident. I will remain in contact with emergency management officials as well as local officials in Sullivan and Johnson counties as we continue to assess the damage, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is actively engaging with FEMA to assess the damages from the incident,” said Gov. Holcomb.
