Wind damage causes downed trees, massive power outage
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Mother Nature wreaked havoc across central Indiana on Saturday, with much of the Indianapolis area seeing wind gusts in excess of 50 mph.
The strong winds caused damage throughout the city, and 37,000 people were left without power after trees and power lines fell. Late Saturday night, roughly 25,000 people remained without power.
Saturday’s windy weather proved to be a close call for a lot of people who told News 8 they were “lucky to be alive.”
“We heard a couple pops, a crack and then a whole tree came down,” said Joseph Swango.
With debris and dust still in his hair, Swango was still shaking from shock after winds knocked a tree onto his house in the 3500 block of Caroline Avenue.
Swango’s head and hands were bloody and bruised after parts of his home fell on him.
“I’m still in shock, honey!” said Swango. “I knew the tree was weak over there, but I was hoping it would go the other way. It was really scary.”
Swango told News 8 his friend, who was also inside the house at the time, was taken to the hospital because of injuries he sustained.
On the city’s north side, more trees were blown over along Westfield Boulevard.
A north side mother, who was understandably too shaken to go on camera, told News 8 her baby almost died when the wind snapped a tree like a twig, causing it to fall on her house, and dry wall to land on her child.
Meanwhile, a normally busy Saturday night in Broad Ripple was at a standstill.
“We were just trying to eat dinner and then the power went out,” said Indy resident Jack Peterson. “So we can’t have dinner here. We’re going to go to a fast food joint now.”
Businesses like Union Jack Pub were forced to close up shop, with employees using flashlights to put food on ice.
“All of broad ripple is a service industry and everybody’s losing out on a lot of money,” said Union Jack Pub Assistant General Manager, Perry Wright.
Across Indianapolis, intersections were left without power, as Hoosiers braving the elements did their best not to get swept up by the winds.
With the damage already done, cleanup efforts already underway as Hoosiers wait for the lights to come back on.
“I don’t know if it’s the second coming or what’s going on, but it’s Indiana weather,” said Wright. “If you don’t like it, wait a minute, and it will change. We just hope and pray that we get power back on soon.”
A spokesperson for IPL told News 8 it was one of the “most significant wind events the city has seen in 10 years.”
On Saturday night, neither Duke Energy nor IPL said for sure when power would be restored.
However, IPL’s spokesperson said it could potentially take more than a day to complete repairs around the city.