A tornado tore across Indiana on the night of March 31st, leaving behind destruction that wiped out part of Sullivan, Indiana. With winds as high as 155 mph, the EF-3 tornado resulted in the deaths of three Sullivan residents and left eight injured.
The 40-mile path of the tornado demolished 13.15 miles of the town, leaving some of its worst to the neighborhood of Silver Street.
While the neighborhood was majorly affected by the devastating storm, there were people who lived two or three blocks over who didn’t even lose a tree limb – but all they needed to do was walk outside, listen to the noise of sirens, and see the hues of red flashing lights on the horizon to know that this storm was not one to take lightly.
The devastation left by the tornado along Silver Street.
Volunteers and public workers clearing up affected areas on Silver Street.
One of the several Salvation Army relief trucks placed throughout Sullivan stocked with food for volunteers and workers.
A home cleared out by workers and prepared to be torn down with an "X" on the door.
An auto shop demolished along Silver Street.
Mayor Clint Lamb and his family were among the many lucky enough to avoid the path of destruction. Taking shelter in the basement with his wife and daughter with no cell phone service, they were concerned about communicating with his other 3 daughters and his son, who lives in Florida. But once he knew that his children were safe, Mayor Lamb says that that is the moment “when you just pop into mayor mode, and you get out of the house, and you go out and you start taking care of people.”
The community survivors were shaken, but ready to take action.
The start of April marked the start of a long journey to recovery for Sullivan, and with the help of donations and volunteers, the town is on the right track to getting back to its closest version of normalcy. J.D. Wilson, who is the director of public works in Sullivan, says that in “no way, shape, or form is the city of Sullivan doing the cleanup, this is all volunteer work.”
Along with Mayor Lamb were citizens all across the state of Indiana who immediately walked out of their houses to help get the town back on track. Within days, with the help of public officials, crews restored power, cleared roads, and smoothed the transition to normalcy.
Almost every house was unrecognizable and unable to be saved in the affected areas of the tornado path. Volunteers knew that those houses could not be left unattended. Days after the tornado, volunteers accessed every damaged house and building, checking for survivors and belongings. They marked each house with an “X”, so crews knew which homes and buildings to demolish.
J.D. Wilson, director of Public Works, speaks about his experience and Sullivan’s response following the tornado.
While an event such as this is unprecedented for any town in the world, resources have been pouring in to support families and volunteers as they continue to get the town back on track. FEMA recently announced that they will send down teams to help the citizens of Sullivan with the process of getting relief if needed.
Additional volunteers are always welcome as there is a long road ahead for Sullivan, Indiana, or if you’re looking to help virtually, you can send donations to the Sullivan County Community Foundation.
