Tornadoes hit Indiana

Mercer County dodged a bullet Wednesday as a storm front that spawned tornadoes that flattened parts of Kokomo, Ind., weakened locally before picking up steam again in Van Wert and Defiance counties.

Local weather spotters Wednesday afternoon saw tornadoes touch down in Indiana and again in Van Wert County, county emergency management agency director Mike Robbins said. They saw funnel clouds pass over Mercer County, but no twisters or damage was reported in the county.

Tornadoes that touched down in central Indiana tore roofs off apartment buildings, sent air conditioners falling onto parked cars, cut power to thousands of people but left no one seriously injured.

About a dozen people suffered minor injuries as the twisters moved through the Indianapolis area, Indiana State Police Capt. David Bursten said. Most of those injuries were in Howard County and included a resident who was trapped in a home. A 5-month-old child who suffered a laceration in Montgomery County was among the injured.

A preliminary survey showed an EF3 tornado with maximum winds of 165 mph struck Kokomo, about 40 miles north of Indianapolis, National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Herold said.

Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight said there was "substantial damage to property" in his city and that "a lot of trees are down."

He said today about 220 people stayed overnight in a temporary shelter. Police were restricting access to storm-damaged neighborhoods, saying residents must show identification to gain access.

"The areas that have been hit the hardest, we're asking people to stay away unless they absolutely have to be in those areas," Goodnight said at a news conference, adding he's relieved no one was killed or seriously injured.

Authorities said eight funnel clouds were spotted throughout the afternoon. It was unclear how many touched down.

At the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo, maintenance technician Mitchell Carlson described the scene as "a madhouse." He said the complex has 16 buildings and after the storm "probably eight of them don't have a roof." Falling tree limbs and air conditioners damaged 20 to 30 cars. No one was injured at the apartments, he said, adding: "So, I guess we're all blessed at the Park Place."

A toppled Starbucks in Kokomo was among the buildings hit Wednesday. Starbucks released a statement on its website, saying workers and customers at the damaged coffee shop were safe.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said he'll tour Howard and Montgomery counties today to assess the damage. The Republican vice presidential candidate returned to his home state Wednesday evening from campaigning in North Carolina.

He said he had a "grateful heart" that no deaths or serious injuries were reported and that he would remain in the state "as long as we need" to make sure people affected by the storms have the necessary support.

An Ohio EMA spokesman says damage was reported at a mobile home park and other sites across four northwest Ohio counties.

Spokesman Jay Carey said Wednesday night damage was reported in Defiance, Henry, Paulding and Van Wert counties. Carey says one minor injury was reported.

Van Wert County officials say at least two tornadoes touched down about 2 miles apart. Roofs were blown off homes and barns were destroyed.

Downed trees and power lines were reported around the area.

The Defiance County EMA says the area around a mobile home park sustained the most damage. Area roads were blocked off.

Chattanooga and Rockford fire departments dispatched weather spotters Wednesday afternoon in northwestern Mercer County and sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the Rockford area Wednesday evening, but the office did not receive any reports of property damage or injuries, Capt. Martin Emerine said.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch in Mercer County at about 3:30 p.m. that lasted until 9 p.m.. A tornado warning was effective from just before 6 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. in the northwestern section of the county.

Mercer Health officials moved patients from their rooms into the Coldwater hospital's interior hallways within about 15 minutes of the warning, vice president of patient care services Cindy Liette said.

New mothers were given their babies and people who had difficulty moving were put into wheelchairs for easier transport. Patients were also given their medical charts in case the hospital was evacuated.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.