Bloomington tornado leaves path of destruction on city's west side

A storm that barreled across Indiana Thursday night brought strong winds and hail to the west side of Bloomington.

The National Weather service reported winds of up to 70 miles per hour. About 2,000 people lost electricity.

Steve Robertson works for the city’s utilities department. He’s in charge of two lift stations. Both stations lost power, so at around 11:00 p.m. Robertson was out making sure the generator backup was working.

"The transformers are laying in the middle of the road so there is no power. So my generator kicked on and we’re safe because we’re not running any sewer anywhere but like what it’s supposed to,” Robertson said.

A Fifth Third Bank on West Third street lost a section of its roof and sustained heavy damage. At least a couple dozen homes in the Stonechase and Fieldstone neighborhoods off West Third were also damaged.

At the nearby Kia dealership some vehicles were damaged by debris. The Monroe County Humane Association campus was hit by the storm. Its executive director said all the animals are safe and being cared for.
 

Traffic lights are out all over the west side. First responders are asking people to stay off the roads so crews can continue recovery efforts.

The tornado warning bulletin came down just after 7 p.m. Thursday for central Monroe and western Brown counties.

Emergency management confirmed a large and extremely dangerous tornado near Bloomington moving east at 45 mph.

Pea size to ping-pong ball size hail and strong winds were reported.

National Weather Service Storm Survey teams are expected to investigate damage in Sullivan and Monroe counties Friday. Additional areas may be surveyed as more damage information is received.