Tornadoes Cause Widespread Damage in Illinois and Northwest Indiana

At least seven tornadoes struck Illinois and Northwest Indiana late Thursday, confirmed the National Weather Service. Among them, an EF3 tornado devastated Kouts. An EF2 tornado impacted Merrillville, while an EF0 moved through St. John. Illinois saw tornadoes in Streator with an EF3, from Graymont to Dwight as an EF1, and in Bartlett with an EF1.

Remarkably, this is the second such occurrence in three months, previously hitting Lake Village in Newton County in March. EF3 tornadoes unleash winds between 136 and 165 mph, assessed by on-ground damage. The Enhanced Fujita scale ranges from EF0, starting at 65 mph, to EF5, above 200 mph, as meteorologist Leanne Blind-Doskocil explained. She noted that most tornadoes, about 77%, are EF1 or lower, with 95% below EF3 intensity, indicating the rarity of such strong tornadoes.

Preliminary ratings for Thursday’s tornadoes are under assessment, and further evaluations will continue, including in southern Lake County and areas south of the Kankakee River. Meanwhile, NIPSCO reported that 29,148 customers were still without power by early Saturday, a decrease from 86,640 post-storms. Power restoration timelines were provided, targeting midnight Saturday for Hammond and Crown Point, 11 p.m. Sunday for Plymouth, 11:59 p.m. Monday for Monticello, Valparaiso, La Porte, and Angola, and 6 p.m. Tuesday for Gary, Goshen, and Merrillville. Residents experiencing outages can text ‘out’ to 444111, visit nipsco.com/outages, or use the NIPSCO mobile app.

The Pleasant Township Trustee’s Office announced that the First Presbyterian Church in Kouts would collect donations from Sunday to Wednesday for storm victims. Drop-off times are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Required items include gas cards, bottled water, hygiene and cleaning products. Additionally, Lake and Porter County residents should contact the Indiana 211 website or call 866-211-9966 to report storm damage. This aids the Indiana Department of Homeland Security in estimating damages and formulating recovery steps.

Andrean High School in Merrillville reported serious tornado damage. Officials expressed gratitude in a Facebook post for community support and shared that insurance and contractor assessments were underway. Updates on damage and future plans will be provided post-weekend. Donations to support the high school can be made at www.andreanhs.org/support/donatenow.cfm. School officials emphasized the resilience of the Andrean community.

Merrillville authorities advised residents needing help to contact the American Red Cross at (800) 733-2767 or the Ross Township Trustee’s Office at (219) 769-2111. The Red Cross has set up a 700-bed shelter at the Lincoln Center in Highland. Further, donations of clothing, toiletries, and food can be submitted to the Ross Township Trustee’s Office, which remains open Saturday and Sunday for distributing supplies.

The Salvation Army planned to distribute blankets, health kits, and cleaning supplies on Saturday at 7201 Taft St. Strack and Van Til were providing free meals at 61st and Broadway until 5 p.m. Volunteers from Hy-Vee planned to deliver meals and supplies to affected areas. Additionally, Humane Indiana offered aid for affected pet owners, who can email [email protected] for assistance.