The Wind Strikes Again

A deadly tornado struck near Evansville, Indiana overnight, killing at least 23 persons as most were asleep. At least thirty other victims remained in critical condition as evening fell. The storm also caused damage in Henderson, Kentucky, where it touched down before jumping the Ohio River into Indiana. The worst devastation was found in the Eastbrook Mobile Home Park in Evansville.

From the Associated Press: Indiana homeland security spokeswoman Pam Bright said it was the deadliest tornado in Indiana since April 3, 1974, when an outbreak of several tornadoes killed 47 people and destroyed 2,069 homes.

Further: Ryan Presley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., said it appears a single, intense tornado touched down near Smith Mills, Ky., in northwestern Kentucky and then cut a 15- to 20-mile swath through Indiana’s Vanderburgh and Warrick counties. Presley said the tornado appears to have been an F3 on the Fujita scale, with winds ranging from 158 mph to 206 mph, and may have been even stronger. A team from the weather service’s Paducah office was surveying damage to get a clearer picture of the storm’s intensity and path. About 100 homes at the Eastbrook Mobile Home Park were destroyed and 125 others were damaged, Bright said. The park had about 320 occupied homes.

According to CNN, the National Weather Service had issued a warning for the area about 30 minutes before the tornado struck, but most persons were asleep.

Once again, the illusion of security is stripped away.  Let’s pray for those who grieve and suffer in the aftermath of this storm.