WHITELAND — Central Indiana is expected to get severe weather and even potential tornadoes Wednesday, while one Johnson County community is still recovering from Friday's storms.
“I think with what we just experienced, the next couple of times there’s a thunderstorm, there’s gonna be a heightened awareness in making sure that they take shelter," Carmen Young with the Town of Whiteland said.
Young says the past few days have been all about clean up and recovery.
On Tuesday, they switched gears to storm preparation.
“Encourage them as best as possible that their structure may have made it through the first round but if we end up getting potential tornadoes again, we really ask them to go to a shelter or find other places to stay," she said.
Marty Walker says she couldn’t believe her eyes when she walked around her Park Forest neighborhood Saturday.
“Total chaos and total destruction. People everywhere. Trees everywhere. Houses everywhere," Walker said.
She's saddened at the thought that this destruction could happen all over again.
“I just hope everyone takes that warning seriously, and does everything they can to keep themselves safe," she said.
Besides losing power and water for a few days, Walker’s home was relatively untouched.
She plans to stay put Wednesday.
“I don’t have a basement. I have a staircase that has a little cupboard underneath of it and I can take shelter in there.”
That’s exactly what Michael Pruitt with the Johnson County Joint Incident Management Team says you should do.
“You need to seek shelter in that center point of your home. A bathroom, small space that you can get your family in, in the center of your home. That’s the safest place you can be," Pruitt said.
Pruitt has been working since Saturday to remove debris from impacted neighborhoods.
“If you go back and look at two days ago, it was just absolutely a disaster zone. Today, we can actually see the grass, things are clean, people can actually move around the neighborhood. The streets are open," he said.
Volunteer crews will not go out Wednesday because of the impending weather.
They’re expected to hit the streets again on Thursday.
“Praying that it misses everybody. That it’s not gonna be as bad as they’re saying," President of Johnson County COAD Becky Allen said.
Allen is coordinating debris pick-up efforts at the Family Assistance Center located at 50 Center Street in Whiteland.
“I also need volunteers in this room, to help with managing, signing people up and training them. It’s not hard. It’s very easy. If you don’t feel like you can pick up sticks or debris, I have a job for you," she said.
On Tuesday, Allen estimates the center had about 150 volunteers both in house and in the streets.
If you'd like to get involved in tornado relief efforts or need assistance, you can call 317-671-6521 or email whitelandtornadorelief@gmail.com
