BLOOMINGTON— Cleanup is underway in Bloomington after a powerful storm tore through neighborhoods on the city’s west side. We are still awaiting official confirmation from the National Weather Service that it was a tornado.
“Our patio furniture was all over the place,” said Jill Henry, as she surveyed debris behind her home.
Henry said she lost power during the storm and found tree limbs scattered across her yard.
“I was on the phone with my parents, and they were giving us radar updates and said there was rotation out by the airport and they were like, ‘Is that close to you guys?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s like a block away,’” Henry said.
Despite the damage, she knows the situation could have been worse.
“It could have been a lot worse,” she said. “It’s just really overwhelming, especially seeing the damage to the other houses.”
Jasmine Smithson feels the same.
“Nothing compared to the neighbors where the roof is completely gone,” she said.
Smithson described the aftermath as devastating.
“Complete shock, complete shock. It’s sad. Where do you even start to help people clean things up?” Smithson said.
Residents were out early, picking up debris and sweeping broken glass from the street.
Most of the storm damage is concentrated on Bloomington’s west side near the Monroe County Airport.
Neighbors say the destruction extends beyond residential areas. Along Third Street, several buildings were hit hard.
The Fifth Third Bank branch on Third Street sustained extensive damage, with part of its roof torn off. The Monroe Humane Association reported a destroyed storage shed behind its facility.
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As cleanup continues across the city, many residents say they are focused on helping one another.
“Just trying to help out,” Smithson said.
