JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind — Tuesday marks one year since an EF2 tornado ripped through parts of Johnson County.
"It was almost sunny like today," said Johnson County EMA Director Stephanie Sichting.
That afternoon, Sichting said an officer reported seeing the tornado that would ultimate ride the ground for miles.
"My first call was Eric Funkhouser," Sichting said.
"I actually got a phone call from Jennie Runevitch," said Bargersville Fire Chief Eric Funkhouser, "And when I turned north on Centerline Road, I'm on the phone with her, and I'm like, 'Yeah, I can see it right now.'"
In total, around 75 homes were damaged on June 25, 2023, according to officials.
Sichting said dumpsters were emptied daily, filled with wood and debris.
"It was a massive amount," Sichting said. "It was tonnage."
"This neighborhood right here was completely destroyed," Funkhouser said. "There were trees down. We couldn't get into here."
One year later, Van Blade is still picking up from the storm.
"The trees, you can see how they're coming out a little bit," Blade said, "But they're sparse, because they've been taken off by the tornado."
Century-old trees surrounding Blade's home were toppled in seconds. Thankfully, the house he has called home since 1992 was not damaged.
"Since the trees are gone, we try to plant some grass and put some topsoil in," Blade said.
"It takes everyone to plan, to train, and then to do the response and the recovery part of it," Sichting said.
Sichting said Greenwood installed two new weather sirens since the storm. She said more are coming to Whiteland, too.
"To make sure that if something like this happens, we're working really well together," Funkhouser said.
At his home in the Golden Grove neighborhood, Blade continues planting new trees where his old ones once stood.
"It could have been a lot worse," Blade said, "But God is good all the time."
During the 2023 tornado, no one was hurt. Officials in Johnson County credit community members for having an emergency plan in place before the storm.