Possible tornado strikes Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - Severe weather ripped through most of the Hoosier state Sunday, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

The National Weather Service will be busy surveying the damage Monday to confirm if tornadoes touched down in at least six counties.

One of the areas hardest hit was Lawrence County. Several people in Fayetteville were taken to the hospital and homes were destroyed after a possible tornado Sunday afternoon.

Fayetteville is east of Bedford in Lawrence County. The possible tornado destroyed three homes there and debris was scattered throughout the fields.

Several of the people who lived there had to be taken to the hospital. One family member said they will be okay.

Sunday's severe weather was a very scary situation for all the residents in Fayetteville.

Jaime Deckard took a picture from a home in Bedford of the possible tornado in Fayetteville miles away.

Scott Ramsey's home was in the path of that possible tornado. His home has been completely blown away. There are no walls, no roof, just splintered debris. His family had been watching NASCAR on television when Scott sent his family to the basement to take cover.

"I didn't get to the garage and the door blew open. I knew I had to turn around and get to the basement. I got halfway to the stairs, to the top three stairs and I got blown down the stairs to the basement. I landed on the floor and all the debris started hitting me. I tried to cover my face but I got hit in the back of the head," Scott said

He said he thought it was his time to go. Thankfully his family was alive but some of his family members had to go to the hospital.

"This stuff can be replaced, can't replace your family," Scott said.

Just east of the destruction 10-year-old Joseph and 8-year-old Samuel Jackson were feeding their grandpa's cows on the farm. Both were caught in the rain and the wind. Samuel was able to take cover in the truck but Joseph was stuck outside.

"I looked over to my left and seen a tornado form, so I was really scared so I tried to go every which way because it was coming right at us. And so finally I just went over and grabbed a tree and we prayed before the tornado hit. After it was out of sight the wind was still really hard so I crawled on my hands and knees to the truck but the wind got me. I hung on to the tire and used the railing to get to the door. My brother helped me in because my legs were like literally flying horizontally out of the truck so he pulled me in," Joseph said.

Even though nightfall made the rural area very dark it didn't stopped Ramsey's friends, family and church members from working. They set up generators and flood lights and dozens of people pitched into to help to clean up all the mess left behind.