SULLIVAN, Ind. — Clean up continues in Sullivan, Indiana after an EF-3 tornado touched down Friday night.
“It’s just hard to imagine it happen here isn’t it," said Noah Phegley as he stood next to his neighbor with his arm around her shoulder.
“I didn’t think it would ever happen in Sullivan," responded Betsy Case.
Phegley and Case haven’t known one another that long, but when the tornado touched down, Noah immediately went to check on Betsy.
“She was standing in her house, or what was left of it, and I was trying to get her to come with me," said Phegley.
"I don’t even know how he got into the house. He came over there and he was in the house and said, 'We gotta go. We gotta go!'" said Case.
Betsy had a gash on her head.
“He gave me a paper towel to wipe my face and I didn’t know it was covered in blood," she said.
On Monday, Betsy and many other neighbors worked to find anything salvageable, as volunteers helped them go through the rubble.
Neighbors were hoping to find things like photos, clothing, important documents and other sentimental items.
"This is my aunt’s home right behind us and my grandmother’s home," said Jodi Brummett.
Brummett was still in shock as she looked over the damage.
“(My aunt) was sitting on her couch with a piece of furniture on top of her looking up at the ceiling that was no longer there. She was looking at the sky. It’s heartbreaking… so heartbreaking," said Brummett.
Central Indiana storm damage | April 1, 2023
Some described the scene as a war zone.
"My 12-year-old son said, 'Mom this looks like 'The Walking Dead,'" said Brummett.
A nearby VFW had its roof ripped off. There were six people inside when the tornado hit.
“Five of them were able to get into our freezer, which is completely unharmed. One of the people, a sixth person, fell down on their way into the freezer and couldn’t get in in time. So, she just rolled underneath our pool table and rode the storm out and was unscathed," said Evan Hamilton.
The force of the tornado ripped apart a military helicopter on display that former members of this VFW flew while they served. The helicopter has been on display since 1994.
Neighbors watched as crews demolished homes and carried away debris. Memories obtained over a lifetime, now gone.
"You may have lost your home, but you still have a piece... a piece of what’s left," said Brummett.