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‘Destructive’ tornado tears off roofs and destroys a Starbucks in central Indiana

What's left of a Starbucks in Kokomo, Ind., on Wednesday.
(Robert Scheer / Indianapolis Star)
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At least two tornadoes struck cities in central Indiana on Wednesday, tearing the roof off apartment buildings, sending air conditioners falling onto parked cars and cutting power to thousands of people.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning, saying a “confirmed large and destructive tornado” hit about 10 miles east of Kokomo, or about 40 miles north of Indianapolis. Meteorologist Dave Tucek said a tornado moved across the city Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s crazy. It’s a madhouse,” said Mitchell Carlson, a maintenance technician at the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo. He said the complex has 16 buildings and “probably eight of them don’t have a roof.”

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But there have not been any injuries, he said. “So I guess we’re all blessed at the Park Place.”

He estimated 20 to 30 cars had been damaged by falling tree limbs and air conditioners.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security was monitoring damage from the tornado but had received no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths, agency spokesman John Erickson said. The storm cut power to about 12,000 homes and businesses in Howard County, where Kokomo is the county seat, he said.

“We’re just asking people to sit tight, especially if there’s a tornado warning in their area, so they can stay as safe as possible,” Erickson said.

Police officers in Indianapolis spotted at least two funnel clouds close to the ground just south of Interstate 70, but the department had received no reports of damage, according to Officer Jim Gillespie of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Local emergency dispatchers said only minor injuries had been reported. Television station WTHR showed images of downed trees and a damaged Starbucks in the area.

The weather service also said Indiana State Police observed a tornado northwest of the Montgomery County town of New Ross, or about 35 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

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Indiana University Kokomo canceled all events on campus Wednesday evening because of the weather.

School officials in Avon, near Indianapolis, cited the severe weather in ordering all buses to return to the nearest school.

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