Storm Damages Homes in Indiana Town

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A possible tornado swept across the Ohio River town of Newburgh on Wednesday, damaging several homes in the community’s historic riverside district as a powerful line of thunderstorms cut across the Midwest, authorities said.

Warrick County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marvin Heilman said no injuries were reported after the town about 15 miles east of Evansville was hit by the storm around 6 a.m. CST.

Heilman said straight-line winds or possibly a tornado damaged the homes, some of which were hit by falling trees. The damage occurred in the historic district of the town that was founded in 1803 and was once a bustling port.

A powerful system of storms carrying a string of possible tornadoes crashed through a broad swath of the Midwest early Wednesday, leaving at least four people dead.

National Weather Service meteorologist Deanna Lindstrom said a tornado warning was issued for the Newburgh area well before the storm moved through. She said weather service staffers planned to survey the area to determine if a tornado or high winds caused the damage.

“We’ve got damage everywhere across four states — a big area. And we’ll have to get our head above water and try to figure out where the areas with the most concentrated damage are,” Lindstrom said by phone from Paducah, Ky.

Carol Schaefer, the executive director of Historic Newburgh, Inc., said she heard tornado sirens about 5:30 a.m. She said when she visited the downtown area later she saw damaged homes and that the roof of a popular restaurant, the Edgewater Grille, had collapsed. She said Newburgh is Warrick County’s oldest community.

“We’re very lucky to have not received more damage than we did, considering the storm was headed right toward us,” she said.