PORTLAND, Ind. (WTHR) - The storm damage from a possible tornado extended all the way to Jay County on Indiana's eastern border.
David Crabtree explained what his family encountered Sunday to WTHR's Chuck Lofton. "A couple of family members started pulling stuff out of the closet that is underneath the main stairway," he said. "I stepped to the front of the house to look out and...the trees, everything was calm. I didn't hear any noise and I glanced off to the southwest and I saw the debris and I saw the circulation. Then I heard the noise and I said 'everybody into the closet' and so we all hunkered down in there."
The National Weather Service has not confirmed whether the storm was actually or tornado or what strength it may have been.
"We heard glass breaking. It was almost like the house was shaking. Then it was over almost about as quick as it started and we came out and this is what we found," Crabtree said.
His 4x4 pickup truly went off-road and slammed into another car that Crabtree was restoring. His barn was a total loss and the house suffered some damage as well. Since Crabtree works as a claims adjuster, he estimated the damage at his property at between $70-and-$80 thousand.
"No injuries thank goodness and this can all be cleaned up so we are fine," the thankful Crabtree stated.
If his own property wasn't such a mess, Crabtree would have plenty of work to do. Grain silos upended and slammed into one another. A semi tanker overturned.
A farm located about 3 miles north of Portland lost a whole wall.
Nearby, an RV was uprooted and completely gutted.
The most fortunate part of all of this damage in Jay County is there were no reported injuries.