History almost repeated itself. 

Five years ago today, an EF 4 tornado ripped through Washington County and demolished the Henryville High School. 

In the early morning hours of March 1, 2017, high winds caused damage along much of the same path.

As two groups of storms approached Kentuckiana, the National Weather Service predicted on Tuesday afternoon that overnight tornadoes, hail and strong winds.

It was the 2nd round of straight line winds that passed through between 5-6:30a Wednesday that delivered the main punch.

Straight line winds of 90 mph were reported in Pekin and Borden, says National Weather Service. Or the equivalent of an EF1 tornado.

An EF2 tornado was confirmed near Mitchell.

Sites will be reviewed in Paoli and Little York today.

A few people are still without electricity and last night local schools were put on a two-hour delay and missed school on Wednesday because of the outage.

Washington County sheriff’s department lost power along with the rest of the community, and had a water pump fail on its back up generator.

As a result, all 911 calls were routed to Scott County and sent via text back to Sheriff’s Department staff.

Officials are still working this morning to get communications back to working order.

Damage was reported in the following areas in Washington County:

• Cole Road – Trailer Overturned
• Mt. Carmel Road – Trailer Overturned and garage on house
• Sellar Lane – Trailer overturned
• Prowesville  – Ridge Road
• Hunter Road – house damaged
• 335 – Chicken houses down near Trainer Lane
• 335 – barn destroyed
• Voyles road – building in road
• Hobbs Road – sawmill down
• Starr Road – washed out
• SR 135 S – house destroyed

About 30 power lines down in the area. Beck’s Mill and Martinsburg Road were blocked off because of downed power lines.

Electricity was out on most of the rural providers — Duke, Jackson County REMC, Clark County REMC, Orange and Harrison County REMC and a total of more than 13,000 without power.

Thursday morning that number has shrunk to about 2000.

Pekin Town Marshall Jeff Thomas said the path of destruction was similar to the one that hit the area in 2012.

The only injuries reported were on Sellars Lane near Pekin where, three people were rescued from an overturned mobile home. There were minor cuts and scrapes.

Deputy Sheriff Brent Miller said they volunteer firefighters arrived to cut them out of the trailer.

“I could hear the people screaming and hollering inside there so I grabbed my phone and called 911 to get somebody out here as fast as they can,” neighbor Steve Pike said.

A road was washed out on Starr Road and many roofs were damaged with a few barns and garages destroyed.

A two-story poultry barn was destroyed by high winds, scattering debris in yards along Voyles Road in New Pekin.

One semi storage trailer was blown off its foundation and blown into a nearby field.

Nearby a barn that was rebuilt on Ironically, that same trailer was damaged when storms moved through New Pekin in 2012, almost five years ago to the day.

A house that was rebuilt after being destroyed in the 2012 storms was also damaged in Wednesday’s storms. Winds from those storms overturned a travel trailer in the front yard of that home.

One of the chicken houses at the Wright Bros. Tyson Chicken operation was hit by lightening and burned. Two other chicken houses flattened and part of one roof was torn off.

Those buildings were damaged back in 2012.

Most of the county spent the day without power, sending the Southern Indiana communities back into the dark ages.

Without power, there was no refrigeration. Walmart Manager Mike King said there was a potential of the store losing over $1 million in frozen and fresh food.

Without power, there were no restaurants, no gas stations could pump gas and nobody could cook food, unless it was on a gas or charcoal grill.

Earlier in the day, WSLM reported that Jackson County REMC had over 6,300 customers without power. This morning, they had less than 1000 still without power.

Duke Energy had about 2000 customers in Salem without power. That’s down to 16 on Thursday, despite most customers receiving word that they wouldn’t have power back until about Noon today.  Most power in Salem was restored before 8p Wednesday.

Harrison County REMC had 3,997 without power. They have all been restored.

Matt Deaton reported Orange County REMC had more than 1,000 without power.

A semi-trailer was blown over near Austin on I-65, causing delays. Trees were also down on I-65 near Sellersburg.

Damage was also reported in Austin, and one man said he was saved by devine intervention.

Raymond Bowling said he stood up to start getting ready for work but decided to let the snooze go off one more time.

“I laid back down and this happened just minutes afterwards. Good Lord was looking out for me for sure,” he wrote on Facebook. A tree slammed into his house and a foot-thick limb pierced the ceiling and rammed into the bathroom in front of the sink, where Bowling would have been standing.

“It was divine intervention,” he said.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

The National Weather Service believes an EF-3 tornado touched down, packing winds of 135 miles per hour. Most of the damage is concentrated in Posey and Gibson Counties, especially in Fort Branch, Griffin and Poseyville.

The National Weather Service was also surveying EF-2 damage near the town of Ireland in Dubois County and confirmed an EF-2 tornado that touched down near Mitchell in Lawrence County.

NWS confirmed straight line winds did damage in the Pekin area and North of Salem.

NWS will be surveying damage in Paoli and around Little York today.

The National Weather Service is surveying the area in Scott County. Crews are mapping debris and trying to determine if straight-line winds, a tornado or other small rotations caused the damage.

“What you have to do to determine if it’s a tornado or a microburst is look to see what the damage path looks like,” said Joe Sullivan with the National Weather Service in Louisville. “Was there any convergence? Was there any rotation in it?”

County emergency management officials say only the driver of an overturned semi-truck on I-65 suffered minor injuries.

Teams are reviewing two main damage areas. One is located northwest of Austin and the other is south of Scottsburg.

Along Stricker Road, residents are without power. They are dealing with downed trees, home damage, and debris all over.

A log cabin that was unoccupied was completely leveled. A barn was ripped apart and tossed across a yard. A roof of a home off Stoney Point was peeled off.

Because of what Henryville experienced nearly five years ago, the threat of severe weather is taken seriously.

On March 2, 2012, Henryville Jr/Sr High School and Henryville Elementary School were distorted when an EF 4 tornado ripped through the town.

West Clark will be making up the missed day on Wednesday, March 22. They plan on resuming classes Thursday.

Borden received quite a bit of damage and the schools will be closed today. Seymour Community Schools are closed today as well. Scott County District 2 Schools were on a delay Thursday morning.

The Clarksville Police Department is planning a press conference at 7 a.m. to discuss several arrests made in what the department is calling a “multi-million-dollar drug trafficking organization.”

A news release notes the investigation took place with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Indiana State Police.

Police have said the drug trafficking organization is responsible for bringing over 2,600 pounds of marijuana to southern Indiana over the past 18 months.

There will be a town hall meeting at Salem City Hall at 6p tonight to talk about a new project to rebuild the John Hay Water Treatment Facility and the possibility of raising water rates for Salem customers.

According to Salem Mayor Troy Merry he promised voters during the election over a year ago that if the City of Salem was going to make any big changes, he would have a town hall meeting where they could ask questions.

“I’m having our engineers tonight along with those who conducted a rate study and the City Council and the Board of Public Works,” said Merry. “If anybody has a question, there are people there to answer them.”

Appearing on WSLM’s Coffee Club Monday morning, Merry explained that the city no longer uses water from Lake Salinda or uses the water treatment plant there.

The plant at Lake John Hay is in disrepair and studies have been undertaken to come up with a solution.

Merry said grants were sought to pay for a new water treatment facility for Lake John Hay but the municipality was turned down because Salem’s water rates were too low.

“Our water rates – not counting sewer and trash pickup – the minimum bill was $18,” said Merry. “I got to calling around similar cities like Salem and found their minimum bill was $30, $40 and $50.”

Also, the City of Salem’s trash removal has cost tax payers the same thing they have since Frank Newkirk Sr was a mayor, back in the early 90s – just $5.50 per month.

“They pick up trash and brush and if you put a fridge out, they’ll get that too…for $5.50,” said Merry. “I called around to other cities like Salem and found their trash bill was about $11.”

Updating the city’s water facilities was a major factor for becoming Mayor of Salem.

“That’s our number one project,” Merry said. “We’re going to see it through. We have phone conferences at least once every other week with the engineering company to make sure we’re on track. What we need to do and what we need to follow up on.”

Merry said the new water treatment facility will be on the same property.

And as far as water quality goes, Merry said Lake John Hay has “very good quality water.”

The first thing on the list is the treatment plant, followed by the city’s four water towers.

“Hopefully we’ll be current when this is done for many years to come,’ he said.

Asked if the new system and treatment plant will be good for 40 years?

“We’re going to budget for maintenance after it’s built,” said Merry. “If we keep it maintained it will last for years.”

Merry said the cost to produce drinking water “ is unreal.”

“I didn’t know until I got into office, how much it costs,” he said. “The last time the rates were raised in 2004. You don’t want to charge people more than what we must. We can’t qualify for a grant because our rates are so low. I have tried to figure out how we can pull this off without raising rates. We had to have an income study and a rate study. Income study…to see if we qualify for any grants. They will get in contact with residents to see if we can qualify for that. I want to exhaust every avenue we have.”

Merry said if rates are raised, there is a possibility of raising them a little each year for three years.

“I’ve never believed in raising rates where they can’t afford it. To me a few dollars means a lot. We’ve come up with some plans, if we do a rate increase….I think where we can do this over a three year period….it won’t impact people as hard.”

Merry said plans were to, hopefully, begin construction of the new treatment plan in  2018 with it being finished in 2019.

“I’m impatient…I want it done,” he said. “If someone is going to pay for it, they are going to want to progress.”

Merry said there were approx. 3000 people on Salem water. More are using the water with wholesale water being pumped to New Pekin and East Washington Water Corporation.

“If you’re drinking treated water, it’s probably coming from John Hay,” said Merry.

East Washington also has a plan to increase the capacity of Lake John Hay, said Merry.

“East Washington has a project that won’t cost the city anything….$1 million project to raise the dam and raise the water level about 4 feet,” the Mayor said. “It will be like pouring Lake Salinda into Lake John Hay…it will be like two lakes in one.”

John Gordon with the Louisville National Weather Service had a live briefing with Kentuckiana media, including WSLM and WRLW, about the strong possibility of tornadoes and severe storms overnight. 

“The main threat is overnight in Southern Indiana and Northcentral Kentucky. I really believe this is going to be a tornadic situation,” said Gordon. “We’re coming up on the leap year of the tornadoes of 2012…very similar to the January 2012 event. This is a serious situation.”

“This is a pretty significant event,” said Gordon. “There will be three waves. The first one is coming to an end.”

Thunderstorms that passed through today brought flash flood warnings throughout the area. 

Gordon said the second wave will come overnight. There could be a couple of isolated wind and hail events this afternoon.”

There is a moderate risk – from Louisville to Southern Indiana from 10p to 4p. 

“There is a 15 percent risk of overnight tornadoes,” said Gordon. “I consider a dangerous risk of tornadic activity tonight. The wind shear is very, very strong. There is a lot of moisture and instability that we didn’t have on last Friday.”

Overall confidence is very high, said Gordon. “There will be clusters of storms. Louisville Metro may have storms from 1a-6a. Prime Time. Southern Indiana — Jasper, Paoli, Salem…all the way back to Beaver Dam. All facets of severe weather — hail, damaging winds and tornadoes. And flooding.”

Definitely will be severe weather across the Ohio and Mississippi Valley tonight. 

Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible Tuesday afternoon, with the main threats being gusty winds and small hail.

The thunderstorm activity will move out of the region by late afternoon.

Another round of more significant thunderstorms are expected to move into the region tonight and last through Wednesday morning.

The potential for night time tornadoes has increased across southern IN and north central KY.

“Be sure to have a way to get warnings overnight,” Gordon warned. “In addition, large hail and damaging winds will are expected with these storms.”

Becky White, Salem Media owner, said all of her stations were equipped with FCC compliant EAS units.

“These units will sound off on the radio and WRLW TV when there are watches and warnings,” said White. 

As part of the Scott County Safety Partnership, The Scott County Sheriff’s Office and the Scottsburg Police Department announced today they will join efforts with over 250 Indiana state and local law enforcement agencies to increase education and enforcement around dangerous and impaired driving.

From March 3 through March 26, 2017, officers across the state will conduct high-visibility patrols specifically designated to identify and intercept those driving aggressively and under the influence.

“As a state known for basketball hysteria, March is a time of celebration and fun here in Indiana,” said Sheriff Dan McClain. “Throw in St. Patrick’s Day as well, and its critical we drive home the message that the only way to celebrate, is responsibly. For this reason, our officers will be working day and night all across the state looking out for our fellow Hoosiers, because if we do see you driving dangerously or impaired, we will pull you over.”

Increased enforcement during March is a statewide effort supported by federal funding allocated to Scott County Sheriff’s Office and Scottsburg Police Department from the Traffic Safety Division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI). More than 15 officers within these two departments will work overtime to conduct observational patrols and sobriety checkpoints around the clock.

According to ICJI, in March 2016 there were 495 alcohol-related crashes across Indiana, resulting in 231 injuries and 11 fatalities. Additionally, during the same period, crash reports indicate 1,128 collisions occurred due to dangerous driving, resulting in 260 injuries and two fatalities. Dangerous driving includes factors such as “speed too fast for weather conditions,” “driver distracted,” and “driver asleep or fatigued.”

“Protecting all those traveling Indiana’s roadways is an action we do not take lightly,” said ICJI Executive Director Dave Murtaugh. “With various celebratory events taking place during the month of March, it’s important we remind all drivers and passengers the responsibility of staying safe on the road, lies at their feet. I want to thank our hard working and dedicated officers who will be out in full patrol working to ensure this message is front and center in the mind of all those behind the wheel. The key to safe travel is simple. Buckle up and drive sober.”

Crashes resulting from dangerous and impaired driving are preventable. The Scott County Safety Partnership and ICJI would like to remind motorists safe driving is as simple as following these easy steps:

• Before the celebration begins, plan a safe way home
• Do not drive impaired
• If you do drink, use a taxi, public transportation, ridesharing service or designate a sober friend or family member, and give them your keys
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help make arrangements to get them home safely. 

Data compiled in the Indiana Youth Institute’s (IYI) 2017 KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book reveals that, in many cases, Hoosier youth are not thriving. Instead, they are merely surviving.

Washington County’s youth poverty rate (22.9 %) is well under the highest in the state (Delaware County’s 31.2 %) but 2.3 percent over the Indiana average. 

The Data Book shows Indiana’s children are more likely to be victims of poverty and maltreatment than their peers nationally. In addition, Hoosier teens report higher levels of dating violence and suicidal ideation than in many other states.

“The success of our state is directly connected to the well-being of our children,” says Tami Silverman, IYI’s president and CEO. “All of our children, regardless of their circumstances, deserve a safe, productive environment where they can learn, grow and thrive. Indiana can and should be a great place to grow up – and we need to keep working to make this a reality for all Hoosier kids.”

Child Abuse/Neglect:

The littlest Hoosiers are often the most vulnerable. The state’s child abuse and neglect rate has risen steadily since 2011. In 2015, 17 out of every 1,000 Hoosier children were the victims of abuse or neglect. The data shows a stark and steady increase linked to cases involving parental substance abuse. More than half (52 percent) of the children removed by Indiana’s Department of Child Services in 2016 were removed due to a parental substance issue. That rate is up from 48 percent in 2015, 43 percent in 2014 and 32 percent in 2013.

Child Poverty:

The state’s child poverty rate is not improving as rapidly as the state’s economy. One in five Hoosier kids still lives in poverty, with single-mother households facing the greatest hurdles. More than half (50.6 percent) of children in single-mother families live in poverty. That is more than twice as many as in single-father families (23.2 percent) and is higher than the national rate (46.0 percent) for single-mother households. Single mothers earn significantly less than what single fathers make and a larger portion of their income goes toward child care.

Teen Dating Violence:

A survey of Indiana’s high school students reveals many of them are involved in risky and potentially dangerous relationships. Across the board, Indiana has higher rates of teen dating violence than the national average. In one national survey of more than 30 states, Indiana ranked third highest for sexual dating violence among teens (12.6 percent). One in ten Hoosier high schoolers reports they have been forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to by a significant other, ranking Indiana 6th in the survey. Additionally, ten percent of Hoosier high schoolers reports being intentionally physically hurt by someone they were dating.

Teen Suicidal Ideation:

The data shows that Hoosier teens struggle when it comes to suicide. A national-level survey of more than 30 states ranked the state as 3rd for high schoolers who have seriously considered suicide (19.8 percent), 3rd for those who made a suicide plan (17.0 percent), 10th for students who actually attempted to take their own lives (9.9 percent) and 9th for high schoolers whose suicide attempts required professional medical attention. These issues are frequently linked to mental health problems, the most common of which is depression. In 2015, 29.3 percent of Hoosier high school students reported feeling so sad or hopeless that they stopped doing some of their normal activities for two or more weeks in a row.

Other issues highlighted in this year’s Data Book include:

• Indiana’s 2015 infant mortality rate is at 7.3 per 1,000.

• Hoosier mothers-to-be smoke at rates nearly double the national level, but rates have fallen.

• The number of youth homicides (ages 1-19) continues to increase.

• Indiana’s rate of school bullying has fallen below national levels.

• Indiana’s number of homeless students decreased for the first time since 2006.

• A greater percentage of Indiana’s teens are enrolled in school and/or in the labor force than in the previous year.

• A greater percentage of full-time college students are earning their degrees on time compared to previous years.

The 2017 KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book from the Indiana Youth Institute complies data from hundreds of national and statewide sources to paint a picture of what it’s like to be a child in the Hoosier state.

The Indiana Youth Institute produces the KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book as part of a national network of state-level projects coordinated and supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF). Some data from this book also will be included in AECF’s national KIDS COUNT Data Book, which provides state-by-state comparisons of child well-being and will be released later this year.

The Indiana Youth Institute promotes the healthy development of Indiana children and youth by serving the people, institutions and communities that impact their well-being.