BASEBALL FENCE … Fences at the Fayette Schools baseball fields were damaged and bent from the winds. (PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER, STAFF)
By: Jacob Kessler
Storms passed through the area in the afternoon on Wednesday August 11th. They brought with them heavy rain, strong winds and the possibility of a funnel cloud.
Residents in Fayette were hit especially hard with a great deal of damage done to homes and property. Residents on Cynthia Drive came out of their homes to find damage all around them.
The Molina’s home was damaged by trees that were located behind the house to the west. Broken windows and damage to the exterior was caused strong winds and the trees that fell.
Many trees on the road were snapped and pushed over. Several spots of corn were completely flattened, and a residents outdoor, temporary shed was blown across the road into the neighbor’s yard.
The Fayette School, located to the East of Cynthia Drive, also received damage. Part of the school roof had been blown off and two fences for the baseball fields were damaged.
A semi-trailer located on the athletic property for the school was also turned over on its side from the winds. Residents that were home at the time describe the incident as violent.
“At first, I thought it was straight line winds, then the debry started moving sideways. I looked outside and saw a tornado coming, it was staying up in the air, I couldn’t tell from my viewpoint but if it touched down or not, but it snapped trees off nearby before lifting back up”, said Andrew Reynard who is the Pastor at the nearby Nazarene Church.
“It was a narrow funnel and it only lasted for a little bit. It was pretty violent, everything was moving sideways, and it felt very scary.”
Duane Stamm was also home at the time and stated “I was watching the winds coming out very strong from the south.” “As I was watching it, I saw it change all of a sudden and start coming from the north and it was twisting.”
An official from the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana stated damage was caused by straight line winds with winds at the time coming in at +65 mph.
The Weather Service is also investigating the possibility of a funnel cloud with a touchdown not being confirmed.
Emergency Management Services in Fulton County has arranged for a drone flyover for the area on Thursday morning for the Weather Service in order to help with their investigation.
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com
CYNTHIA DRIVE … Trees and debris were scattered all along Cynthia Drive in Fayette. Homeowners and neighbors were busy cleaning up the mess with chainsaws and trailers to haul the mess away.
MOLINA HOUSEHOLD … The back side of the Molina’s home that was damaged by wind and trees.
SCHOOL ROOF … Part of the roof at the Fayette School was damaged by winds during the storms on Wednesday.
TREES DOWN… Trees on the Molina family’s property were brought down from winds during Wednesday’s storms.