Staff Report
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Power remained out this morning to 9,343 customers of Duke Energy in Vigo County following Wednesday night’s powerful storms that swept through west central Indiana.
Another 1,282 customers in Sullivan County also remained without power as of 10 a.m. today.
Heavy storm damage in the Collett Park neighborhood of Terre Haute uprooted many trees, damaging several homes and vehicles.
A fallen tree in the 2600 block of North Eighth Street north of Delaware Avenue damaged a natural gas line, prompting a temporary evacuation of the area last night.
Several crews from Vectren Energy also responded to the area to assess and repair damage.
Resident Andy McAleese had a large oak tree leaning on the rear roof of his two-story brick home. The uprooted oak damaged the roof of the home, and also ripped up a portion of the fence behind the house.
Like many neighborhood residents, McAleese and his family were outside cleaning up storm debris around their homes as the sound of busy chainsaws filled the air. The fallen oak hit his house, but missed a new studio added just last year.
“I took out two bick trees last year to put on the new studio, and I left this oak. They were the weaker trees, so it’s probably a good thing I took them out,” McAleese said.
Several crews from the Terre Haute Street Department responded to the area late Wednesday to begin removal of trees from city streets. Crews remained on the scene Thursday morning, especially in the area of Delaware Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets.
Three Vigo County schools were closed due to the storm -- Rio Grande Elementary, West Vigo Middle School and West Vigo High School. All other schools were on a two-hour delay. At 10:45 a.m. today Lost Creek Elementary and Chauncey Rose Middle schools were without power.
