After touring parts of Indiana damaged by Sunday‘s tornadoes, one Indiana congressman says he will be consistent with his past votes to see federal budget cuts if relief money exceeds a certain level.
Republican Congressman Todd Rokita toured storm damage in his district on Monday; Komomo, Logansport and Lafayette, and says if Governor Pence asks President Obama for a federal disaster declaration, “you bet I‘ll be behind it.”
Rokita was criticized by some in both parties back in January for voting against $50 billion in supplemental emergency money for victims of Sandy in the northeast.
He argued that since the money was not originally in the federal budget, it should be offset with cuts from other parts of the budget.
The congressman says the same standard applies to his 4th District. “I will probably be offering amendments if it goes to an emergency funding situation on what will offset those costs, what we‘ll be willing to live without” Rokita said, adding that it was too early to tell if that would be the case.
The initial reports of damage across Indiana and eleven other states that were hit by Sunday‘s storms do not appear to approach that caused by Sandy, so enough money may have been allocated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover it already.
A fast-moving November storm marched across the Midwest yesterday knocking out power to more than 90,000 Duke Energy customers throughout Indiana, including many in the WSLM listening area.
Duke Energy crews and contractors worked throughout the night assessing damage and made good progress restoring service.
As of about 4 p.m. Monday, approximately 20,000 customers were out of service.
Kokomo and Lafayette were the hardest hit areas. (As of 4 p.m., Kokomo had 10,000 customers out of service and Lafayette had 8,000.). Damage from the storm was described as extremely severe in many areas. Trees were uprooted, poles snapped and power lines knocked to the ground. Power is estimated to be restored to most customers in Kokomo and Lafayette by noon Wednesday, although service will be restored to many customers before then. Below are additional restoration times for other areas:
Lafayette
12 Noon Weds
Kokomo
12 Noon Weds
Attica
12 Noon Weds
Noblesville
10pm Mon
Wabash
7am Tues
Huntington
Normal by event
Plainfield
8pm Mon
Rochester
Normal by event
New Castle
Normal by event
Carmel
Normal by event
Terre Haute
5pm Mon
Bloomington
5pm Mon
Greencastle
7pm Mon
Clinton
5pm Mon
Martinsville
7pm Mon
Columbus
Midnight Mon
Seymour
Normal by event
Greensburg
6pm Mon
Madison
6pm Mon
These estimated restoration times are the worst case. Many customers will have power restored sooner, so we are encouraging customers – through social and traditional media – to call our Indiana automated outage reporting system at 800.343.3525 to get specific information about their locations.
We have every available resource working on the outages—employees, contractors, and we’re bringing in crews from our affiliate companies in Ohio and the Carolinas to help speed up restoration.
Anyone without power who has special needs or who relies on electric-powered life support equipment should consider finding alternative living arrangements until power can be restored.
Safety remains critically important during restoration efforts. Avoid downed power lines. They should be considered energized and dangerous. Please call 911 and Duke Energy to report downed lines.
On the roads, please slow down or move over if you see Duke Energy crews or emergency management crews working along the side the road. Help make sure the folks working to restore power finish the job and get home to their families safely.
A preliminary count reveals at least 23 tornadoes touched down in Indiana on Sunday.
National Weather Service survey teams were deployed across the state Monday to evaluate the damage and learn more about the storms.
Teams will continue their inspections today. Meteorologist Mike Ryan says two EF-2 tornadoes touched down in the Kokomo area and another was confirmed in Lebanon.
An EF-1 tornado also touched down about seven miles north of Lebanon.
Tornadoes were also confirmed near Russiaville, Atlanta, southwestern Knox County, Washington and Bedford. Those tornadoes ranged in intensity from EF-0 to EF-2.
A link to the form is also available on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) website at in.gov/dhs. In the middle of the page under “Featured Topics,” click on “Report Damage from Severe Weather – November 17”
Individuals will be asked to provide their name, address, phone number and type of damage the property sustained. Losses can include structural damage to homes and loss of personal property.
For questions, contact your county emergency management agency. Local agency’s contact information is available at http://www.in.gov/dhs/2797.htm.
Individuals without Internet access are encouraged to contact a friend, family member or neighbor for assistance. Web access is also available at many libraries, religious institutions, community centers or other public facilities. If none of those options are available, individuals may also contact their county emergency management agency to report damage.
This is not an application for a grant with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Information will be used to help local emergency management agencies and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security perliminarily assess damage to determine if federal assistance can be pursued.
Some Indiana state parks are closed today and tomorrow and will be again in two weeks so that hunters can help thin out the deer population.
The closed hunts are part of the Department of Natural Resources‘ effort to keep the deer population at a manageable level. “It surprises a lot of folks, but the deer population can potentially double within a couple of years,” said Mike Mycroft, chief of natural resources for DNR State Parks and Reservoirs.
The state parks affected are Brown County, Chain O’Lakes, Charlestown, Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, McCormick’s Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe, Turkey Run, Versailles, and Whitewater Memorial. These state parks will close to the general public the evening before each of the two efforts and reopen the morning after each two-day reduction.
There was a draw to select hunters who will be allowed to hunt at most of the parks on closure days, but Mycroft says there will be some open spots the morning of the hunts at a few parks. Indiana Dunes State Park will conduct daily standby drawings at 8 a.m. Central Time. Potential standby participants can apply on site between 7 and 7:45 a.m. CST but cannot enter the park before 7 a.m.
Turkey Run, Spring Mill, and Fort Harrison will conduct daily standby drawings at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Potential standby participants can apply onsite between 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. EST but cannot enter the park before 7:30 a.m. Mycroft says Fort Harrison will be limited to archery hunting only.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t win this season, but he can’t wait for next year based on how he ran in the Chase.
Earnhardt ended the NASCAR Sprint Cup season with a third-place finish Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He places fifth in the points – his best finish since 2006.
Earnhardt was on pace for his first win since June 2012 at Michigan. He led the Ford EcoBoost 400 until race winner Denny Hamlin passed him with 24 laps to go. Earnhardt couldn’t keep up and lost second to Matt Kenseth.
“(Hamlin) was just close enough jn front of us to dirty the air right against the fence,’’ Earnhardt said. “Our car really didn’t have the right rear hooked up … like the run before. I just couldn’t maximize myself off the corner. I looked to make it on the bottom, but we just didn’t have a good enough car on the bottom. We keep working, we’re going to get a few.
“I really wanted to win there and give to them. Just couldn’t get it done.’’
He finished the season with his third consecutive top-five result – his best streak of the season. Earnhardt’s result also is his 22nd top-10 finish, topping his previous best set in 2003 and ’04.His 10 top-five finishes matched last season’s total.
“Really happy to run as well as we have this season,’’ Earnhardt said. “This has been one of the best years I’ve had, certainly the best year I’ve had working with Hendrick (Motorsports). Just want to give my team a lot of credit. (Crew chief) Steve Letarte, my engineers, did just an amazing job providing these good cars every week.’’
It was during the Chase that Earnhardt ran his best.
He scored eight top-10 finishes in the final 10 races. His only blemishes were a 35th-place finish in the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway when he blew an engine and a 15th-place finish at Charlotte.
When asked how different his Chase might have been without the blown engine, Earnhardt, instead, looked back to a season without a win.
“We didn’t win enough enough races in the regular season, we didn’t win any,’’ he said. “That was the difference When we started the Chase we were already in the hole to Matt. It’s too competitive. Just like the end of this race. We just got behind in the regular season, not winning enough, not doing enough to get bonus points and those guys did. Points are so important. If you put 10 good races and add those bonus points on top of that, you’re going to be hard to beat.’’
With as well as he ran in the Chase, might Earnhardt be among the favorites for next year’s title?
“They’ve said it before, but we ain’t never put anything like this together,’’ he said on pit road. “These last nine races have been something else. Yeah, they can say that and feel good about it.’’
More than 50 tornadoes ripped across Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, leaving at least six dead and about 69,000 without power, according to Duke Energy.
Twelve Indiana counties reported serious damage from storms or tornadoes Sunday, and at least three people were injured across the state as a destructive storm cell moved across the Midwest.
Kokomo appeared to be one of the hardest hit areas in the state. Heavy damage was reported to many buildings, including at Kokomo Town Center mall and Louie‘s Coney Island restaurant, where wind and water caused the roof to cave in.
Authorities in Howard County have asked residents to stay off the roads until the state of emergency is lifted at 6 a.m. Monday.
The Tippecanoe School Corporation has canceled Monday classes.
A tornado cut a line through the southern portion of Lebanon, beginning with a Starbucks just off I-65 on the city‘s west side. Police said 26 homes were damaged by the storm. On I-65 North, heavy winds tossed a semi-truck onto the interstate from a nearby parking lot and damaged the Subaru-Isuzu plant.
Plant officials said all of their employees were accounted for, and none were hurt. In Indianapolis, heavy winds and rain damaged trees and caused flooding in downtown roadways. And, on the city‘s east side, a historic Irvington building collapsed under the force of the storm.
In southern Illinois, an elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado hit their home about noon in the rural community of New Minden, Coroner Mark Styninger said. A third person died in Washington, in the central part of the state, which was one of the hardest-hit areas. Two others perished in Massac County in the far southern part of the state, near Paducah, Ky., said Patti Thompson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. She did not provide details.
The second of two storm systems moved into Washington County yesterday evening that was predicted to have Hurricane-Force winds of more than 70mph. However, lots of wind and rain was all that results and no tornadoes, although more than 50 twisters were spotted around the Midwest leaving at least six dead.
Much of the WSLM listening area was under a wind advisory all day as well as Tornado watches and warnings as well as Severe Thunderstorm warnings.
One group of tornadoes developed west of Bedford and moved east through Jackson and Jennings Counties. That storm brought damaged to Washington, In. Classes are cancelled today in the Washington, Washington Catholic, and Barr Reeve School Systems as the debris is cleaned up.
One vacant home was knocked off its foundation and thrown several feet. Numerous homes were damaged or destroyed, along with trees and vehicles.
Among the businesses damaged were Crackers and Reeds Deli on West National Highway, Etiennes Farm Market on the Highway 50 by-pass at Maysville Road, and GPC. A number of businesses have delayed their openings this morning.
The Indiana State Police issued a curfew for residents.The curfew began Sunday and runs until dusk today.
The curfew means that there are to be no citizens walking about throughout the city limits, nor should there be any driving on city roadways unless in the case of an emergency.
Mayor Joe Wellman says the storm hit Ettienne’s Farm Market, damaged homes around Cindy Kay Drive, hit the shopping center on the west side, WAMW, and Reid’s Deli, then down along Sycamore before stopping close to Meridian Street.
City Fire Chief David Rhoads said six homes in total were completely destroyed by the tornado.
While numerous homes and buildings were damaged, there were no reports of serious injuries.
City crews hit the streets with heavy equipment to remove debris and to restore power.
City crews and residents tried to bring things back together in the damaged areas, bringing in heavy equipment and trucks. “We got every crew we could out and working as quickly as we could,” said Evans.
A second group of storms extended from Bloomington south past Vincennes. That system was predicted to bring Hurricane-force winds at more than 70mph.
Bloomington was under a tornado warning as the IU Men’s basketball team was preparing to play at 5p. The crowd at Assembly Hall was down and the game played as scheduled after storms moved through the area.
At one time a spinning air mass was spotted by radar over Little York, but that moved on into Scott County and towards Austin.
IU Men’s Basketball will tip off on WSLM Radio tonight – the Hoosiers on 97.9 FM.
Indiana is in its 114th season of college basketball and will host Samford tonight in Assembly Hall at 7p. Don Fischer will lead the pre-game show at 6p.
Samford is coached by former IU assistant Bennie Seltzer, of the Southern Conference. The Hoosiers improved to 2-0 with a 73-72 win over LIU Brooklyn in the opening round of the 2K Sports Classic on Tuesday. Samford is 1-1 after losing at UT Arlington, 88-75, on Tuesday.
Senior Will Sheehey had a team-high 19 points and hit two 3-pointers in the final 2:46 to lead the Hoosiers to the comeback win over the Blackbirds. He also had seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Sophomore Kevin Yogi Ferrell added 17 points and three assists, while freshman Noah Vonleh had his second straight double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Junior All-SoCon guard Raijon Kelly leads the Bulldogs, averaging 16.0 points per game. Sophomore forward Tim Williams, the league’s Freshman of the Year last season, is averaging 14.0 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
Tune in Saturday as IU Football travels to Wisconsin for a Noon kick off.
Results from toxicology tests indicate that an Indiana University freshman died of an accidental prescription drug overdose that is not alcohol related.
18-year-old Abigail Bott, of Hinsdale, Ill., was found dead in her dorm room at McNutt Quad around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, October 6. Bott would have graduated from IU in 2017.
Monroe County Coroner Nicole Meyer says no foul play is suspected in the death and the preliminary cause of death was undetermined pending a toxicology results.
Meyers said at the time of the death there was no evidence of trauma and because of that, officials don’t believe foul play played a factor in her death.
Meyer said Thursday that her office would not release additional information on the incident, and officials have concluded their investigation.
Bott was a 2013 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School who was active in Habitat for Humanity and the Key Club, a school service organization
The most popular phase of Indiana deer hunting kicks off Saturday with firearms season, and it serves as a reminder to hunters: Follow the rules, practice ethical hunting behavior, and have an enjoyable, safe time in the woods.
It’s estimated that at least a quarter-million Hoosiers participate in firearms season, which runs from Saturday (Nov. 16) through Dec. 1.
Hunters are required to have a valid deer license unless otherwise exempt. Exemptions are listed in the DNR Hunting/Trapping Guide, available at outdoor retail stores or online (dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/2343.htm).
Deer licenses can be purchased at IndianaOutdoor.IN.gov, at many DNR-managed properties, and at hundreds of retail outlets across the state.
A deer firearms license costs $24 for Indiana residents, $150 for non-residents.
A firearms license allows a hunter to take one antlered deer with a legal firearm. A bonus antlerless license is needed to take antlerless deer during firearms season. Bonus antlerless county quotas are set for each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
Archery season, which began Oct. 1, runs concurrently with firearms season and ends on Jan. 5, 2014.
Successful hunters are required to report their harvest within 48 hours, either to a DNR-designated check station or through the CheckIN Game program. CheckINgame.dnr.IN.gov is a free online option, or the call-in option can be used at 1-800-419-1326 for a $3 charge (Visa or MasterCard only).
In 2012, hunters reported a record harvest of 136,248 deer, with 55 percent of the total coming during firearms season.
The DNR manages about 350,000 acres of public land — state forests, state reservoirs and state fish & wildlife areas — that are available to deer hunters. Hoosier National Forest offers another 202,000 acres.
A considerable amount of deer hunting also occurs on private land.
Whether hunting on private or public ground, hunters should practice safe hunting habits. Wear hunter orange clothing, identify your target before pulling the trigger, and respect private property.
Hunting accidents are extremely rare, but when they do occur, it usually involves falls from elevated hunting stands. The DNR Division of Law Enforcement records about 30 hunting-related accidents each year, and about two-thirds involve falls from elevated tree stands. When using such a stand, an easy way to avoid injury is to use a full-body safety harness. It can mean the difference between minor injuries or falling and sustaining serious injuries or even death.
“Invest in a quality safety harness,” DNR director Cameron Clark said. “It’s the least expensive life insurance policy you’ll ever buy.”
