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Tornadoes move through Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky
Forecasters say they are aware of damage in the Lakeview, Ohio, area and across the region and plan to survey the area Friday to confirm the tornado.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Indiana State Police said there are “many significant injuries” after a tornado tore through the community of Winchester on Thursday, part of a storm system that also unleashed suspected twisters that damaged homes and businesses in parts of Ohio and Kentucky.
“There have been many, many significant injuries, but I don’t know the number. I don’t know where they are. I don’t know what those injuries are,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter told reporters just before midnight Thursday. “There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.”
Earlier in the night state police said they were investigating reports of deaths but at the news conference Carter said there were “no known fatalities.”
State officials called on Indiana Task Force One to help with search efforts in Winchester, a town of 4,700 people located nearly 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis, according to a post by the rescue team on X. The team is one of 28 Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency-sponsored Urban Search and Rescue teams in the United States.
“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy said. “I heard what sounded like a train and then I started hearing sirens.”
He and his wife were hunkered in a closet during the twister, which hit about 8 p.m.
“I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” McCoy said.
The suspected tornado damaged a Walmart store and a Taco Bell in Winchester, Randolph County Sheriff Art Moystner told FOX59/CBS4. Travel throughout the county is restricted to emergency management workers only, he said.
At about the same time as the tornado hit Winchester, another suspected twister touched down about 75 miles (120 miles) to the east in Ohio. The tornado hit near the southern end of Indian Lake, impacting the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, said Sheri Timmers, a spokesperson for Logan County, home to the villages.
“As far as we know, we have lots of injuries. We don’t know the extent of the injuries,” Timmers said. “An RV park was impacted.”
Multiple buildings in the Indian Lake area were damaged, Timmers said, but the full extent of the destruction was still being assessed. Whether anyone was missing in the aftermath, was not immediately known.
“They’re right now doing some searching,” she said.
Amber Fagan, president and chief executive of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, called the village of Lakeview “completely demolished,” saying homes, campgrounds and a laundromat were hard-hit by the tornado.
“There’s places burning,” she said. “There’s power lines through people’s windows.”
A shelter has been opened for anyone displaced.
In Ohio’s Huron County, emergency management officials posted on Facebook that there was a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Plymouth — some 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Indian Lake.
To the west of Winchester in Delaware County, emergency management officials said initial assessments suggested that up to half of the structures in the small town of Selma were damaged by a possible tornado.
“We are relieved to report that only minor injuries have been reported thus far, with one individual transported to the hospital for treatment,” the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release. About 750 people live in Selma.
Earlier, storms damaged homes and trailers in the Ohio River communities of Hanover and Lamb in Indiana.
The Ohio governor’s office said they did not have any information about fatalities in the state.
Jefferson County Sheriff Ben Flint said storms destroyed three or four single-family homes and four or five other structures and demolished several uninhabited campers along the river.
“We were fortunate that no one was injured,” Flint told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Sgt. Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police earlier said another suspected tornado struck Jefferson County, damaging several homes and downing trees and power lines.
He posted photos on X showing one home with its roof torn off and another missing roof shingles as well as an image of a baseball-sized hailstone.
Around 2,000 Duke Energy customers in Hanover lost power at one point during the storms, the company reported.
In Kentucky, Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark said the storms damaged at least 50 structures, including homes.
“We have a whole bunch of damage,” Stark told the Courier Journal of Louisville.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued a statement saying a tornado touched down along the Indiana state border in Gallatin and Trimble counties and there were reports of a couple of minor injuries. He urged Kentuckians to stay aware of the weather as more storms were expected across the state Thursday evening and overnight.
“It does appear that there is some really significant damage, especially to the town of Milton in Trimble County,” Beshear said. “We think there are over 100 structures that are potentially damaged.”
The state’s emergency operations center was activated to coordinate storm response, Beshear said.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb posted on Facebook Thursday night that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the current weather situation.
“Severe weather has impacted Hoosiers all across the state, and we have emergency response personnel in the impacted areas,” he wrote.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security posted on Facebook that their staff are on scene in Randolph County, home to Winchester, working with locals and that the State Emergency Operations Center has been activated to an enhanced staffing level to respond to the storm.
A Facebook post on the Winchester Community High School page said all the schools in that school district would be closed on Friday. Another post said the high school had electricity and was open for emergency use for people who “need somewhere warm and dry.”
Large pieces of hail also was reported in parts of the St. Louis area Thursday afternoon.
There were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois, but no immediate reports of damage.
Severe weather was possible into Thursday night from northeast Texas to Indiana and Ohio, the National Weather Service said on X.
Tyler Morris of Trimont, Minnesota said he purchased the insoles on Amazon last year to use while hunting and fishing.
TRIMONT, Minn. — “Don’t do it.”
That’s the message Mikaela Morris of Trimont, Minn. has for anyone interested in purchasing rechargeable heated apparel products to keep warm this winter. In a Facebook post, she shared photos of her husband Tyler’s charred foot and melted-off skin after his rechargeable insoles, which were not turned on at the time, exploded inside his boots.
Tyler said he purchased the insoles on Amazon last year to use while hunting and fishing. The insoles, sold by the company iHEAT based in China, are no longer available on Amazon. KARE contacted Amazon and iHEAT for comment but has not heard back.
Tyler said when he took the insoles out again this fall for deer hunting season, they weren’t working very well but he kept them in his boots for added comfort.
“I guess I should have taken them out because I was not using them; they were not on,” Tyler said. “They were just in my boots, and all of a sudden the one exploded.”
On Thursday, Dec. 12, Tyler said he was preparing to put a fish house on the lake when he felt a sharp pain in his right foot.
“It just felt like a knife stabbed me in my heel,” he recalled. “Then it started getting super, super hot, and I started freaking out, and there was white smoke just billowing out of my boot.”
Tyler said he managed to kick his boot off within five seconds, but half of his sock was already burning.
“The insole came out in pieces,” he said, adding that he’s thankful he was wearing wool socks and shoes without laces, which likely saved him an even worse injury than the second and third-degree burns he sustained on his right foot.
“This happens apparently all the time,” Tyler said. “In fact, when we got to Hennepin County, the doctor there told us that I was the third person she had seen for this this week.”
Tyler lost feeling in some parts of his foot and was told by doctors he might need skin grafts. He and Mikaela are warning others to do extensive research before buying any rechargeable apparel products, especially those manufactured overseas and not locally, or to avoid buying similar products altogether.
“I would say on any of it,” Mikaela said. “Heated insoles, socks, vests, coats, gloves because not only could it have been his foot, it could have been his hand, it could have been his, if he had socks on, it could have been his whole leg.”
Larry Raasch volunteered at the department for 25 years.
WEST ST PAUL, Minn. — The West St. Paul Police Department has lost one of its most decorated servants.
Larry Raasch volunteered as a reserve officer for 25 years, logging more than 4,000 hours.
“He really cared about this department and this community,” said West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon.
Raasch volunteered at least eight hours a week at the West St. Paul Police station. Before he started helping out there, he was a reserve for the St. Paul Police Department. In total, he’s spent more than 50 years volunteering at police departments.
“He loved this community that’s what it was, he loved the community, he loved the department, he loved the city, he loved his neighbors, he loved the business owners in town, and he just wanted to give back. That’s why he was doing what’s he doing,” Sturgeon said.
Raasch’s daughter Lisa McDermott said her father lived to serve the community. He would drive people around town if they needed a ride and would help anyone who needed it. His life has been dedicated to service. She said her father is a Vietnam Veteran. He was stationed in Munich, Germany as a medic.
Captain of the reserves Mike Whebbe said he was dedicated to serving his community. He’s worked alongside Raasch for decades.
Raasch was one of the police department’s 15 reserves. Sturgeon said they assist sworn officers and departments, attend community events, help with prisoner transport, and traffic control. Sturgeon said the reserves help the department immensely and have save them a lot of money.
“Over the course of the 25 years, it’s close to $1 million,” he said.
Sturgeon said two years, he received the President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement award.
“He dedicated over 4,000 hours. I’m sure it was a lot more than that,” Sturgeon said.
He said Raasch was one of the oldest reserves, his “meticulous” nature earned him a spot helping out in the property room as a volunteer evidence tech.
“His age didn’t keep him down though. He was always available to us whenever we needed it. We were very appreciative of his dedication to this community,” he said. “He just wanted to be a part of this organization. He wanted to be a part of this city and being a reserve was one way he could be a part of this organization and this community.”
Sturgeon said he’ll miss hearing Raasch say “hi, good morning, good afternoon, how are you doing,” when he would walk into the department. He said no one will ever be able to fill his shoes.
“Larry was a character, he was a one-of-a-kind,” Sturgeon said. “We’ve all learned a lot from him, especially the reserves. I mean like I said he coached and mentored the younger reserves.”
He said it’s going to be hard without him. Sturgeon said Raasch was the embodiment of an outstanding community member, who made West St. Paul a safer and brighter place.
“He’s one of a kind that’s for sure and he’s going to be greatly missed,” Sturgeon said.
Larry Raasch volunteered at the department for 25 years.
WEST ST PAUL, Minn. — The West St. Paul Police Department has lost one of its most decorated servants.
Larry Raasch volunteered as a reserve officer for 25 years, logging more than 4,000 hours.
“He really cared about this department and this community,” said West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon.
Raasch volunteered at least eight hours a week at the West St. Paul Police station. Before he started helping out there, he was a reserve for the St. Paul Police Department. In total, he’s spent more than 50 years volunteering at police departments.
“He loved this community that’s what it was, he loved the community, he loved the department, he loved the city, he loved his neighbors, he loved the business owners in town, and he just wanted to give back. That’s why he was doing what’s he doing,” Sturgeon said.
Raasch’s daughter Lisa McDermott said her father lived to serve the community. He would drive people around town if they needed a ride and would help anyone who needed it. His life has been dedicated to service. She said her father is a Vietnam Veteran. He was stationed in Munich, Germany as a medic.
Captain of the reserves Mike Whebbe said he was dedicated to serving his community. He’s worked alongside Raasch for decades.
Raasch was one of the police department’s 15 reserves. Sturgeon said they assist sworn officers and departments, attend community events, help with prisoner transport, and traffic control. Sturgeon said the reserves help the department immensely and have save them a lot of money.
“Over the course of the 25 years, it’s close to $1 million,” he said.
Sturgeon said two years, he received the President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement award.
“He dedicated over 4,000 hours. I’m sure it was a lot more than that,” Sturgeon said.
He said Raasch was one of the oldest reserves, his “meticulous” nature earned him a spot helping out in the property room as a volunteer evidence tech.
“His age didn’t keep him down though. He was always available to us whenever we needed it. We were very appreciative of his dedication to this community,” he said. “He just wanted to be a part of this organization. He wanted to be a part of this city and being a reserve was one way he could be a part of this organization and this community.”
Sturgeon said he’ll miss hearing Raasch say “hi, good morning, good afternoon, how are you doing,” when he would walk into the department. He said no one will ever be able to fill his shoes.
“Larry was a character, he was a one-of-a-kind,” Sturgeon said. “We’ve all learned a lot from him, especially the reserves. I mean like I said he coached and mentored the younger reserves.”
He said it’s going to be hard without him. Sturgeon said Raasch was the embodiment of an outstanding community member, who made West St. Paul a safer and brighter place.
“He’s one of a kind that’s for sure and he’s going to be greatly missed,” Sturgeon said.
