INDIANAPOLIS — Powerful winds knocked over utility poles and trees in parts of central Indiana Friday night.
"It's been a busy afternoon, it's going to get busier this evening, we will be busy most of the night," said Tom Ecker, spokesperson for Madison County Emergency Management Agency.
Heavy winds, lots of rain and saturated ground are keeping crews busy. EMA is blocking some roads, keeping motorists and and pedestrians from possible danger.
"If you got power lines down, you do not want to mess with them. Assume they're live and call the power company and stay away from the wet, soaked ground we have," Ecker said.
Crews closed a section of one main road after a driver got stuck while navigating the water. That's something Ecker said you should never do.
"If the roadway does have water on it, you're much better taking the time to drive around it than getting stuck or even injured," said Ecker.
Ecker said once night falls, it's best to take it easy.
"If you're heading home after dark, take it a little more slower than normal, so you don't drive up on one of these trees and not be able to stop in time. Use a little more caution," he said.
Late Friday, AES Indiana said about 1,800 customers were without power as a result of the storms. Duke Energy reported 10,600 power outages across the state, though 9,000 were in the Louisville area.
More than a million utility customers in Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan were experiencing interruptions Friday evening, according to poweroutage.us.
The National Weather Service in Louisville called the storm Friday “powerful and historic” with peak wind gusts between 60-80 mph.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)