Midwest Miracle: 8 Tornadoes Flatten Homes and Stores, but No Fatalities
Eight tornadoes with winds up to 165 mph struck across Indiana last night, but no one was killed or seriously injured.
One major tornado described as "large and extremely dangerous" took off the roofs of homes and caused other structural damage.
The overall damage was still being evaluated across the Midwest on Thursday morning after the tornado tore paths across Indiana and Ohio.
But only 15 to 20 people suffered from minor injuries due to flying debris.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said he had a "grateful heart" that there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
In a tweet, the Republican vice-presidential nominee says he is returning to Indiana from the campaign trail. "Please keep Hoosiers in your prayers," Pence asks.
We are leaving NC and getting back to Indiana. Serious storms and tornados. Please keep Hoosiers in your prayers.
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) August 24, 2016
Thousands of residents lost their electricity after Wednesday's storms, with more than 18,000 Duke Energy customers still without power early Thursday morning.
Reports say the largest concentration of damage was in the area of 931 and State Road 22 in Kokomo.
"It's crazy. It's a madhouse," Mitchell Carlson, a maintenance technician at the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo, told the Associated Press.
The 16-building complex had major roof damage on at least eight of the structures, Carlson said, but no one was injured there. "So, I guess we're all blessed at the Park Place," he said.
And a tornado flattened a Starbucks in Kokomo, but the company says workers and customers were safe. You can see a video here of the tornado hitting that Starbucks.
