Tornado Aftermath in Lebanon, Indiana
Though Starbucks became the face of the tornado that hit Lebanon, Indiana on November 17, 2013, many homes and businesses sustained damage. While the destruction was not on the scale of Washington, Illinois, many families will be eating Thanksgiving dinner in someone else’s home.
The residential streets that sustained much of the damage were Meridian Road and Snow Peak Drive, which are just south of Starbucks. Meridian had houses with the front gone, while there were large pieces of roof on Snow Peak that likely came from Meridian–or elsewhere. Both streets had homes with broken windows, collapsed garages, and trees that fell onto houses. Some homes will likely have to be razed.
The National Weather Service inspected the scene on Monday and told the Mayor’s office that the damage was that of an F-2 or F-3 tornado. The Mayor Harold “Huck” Lewis’ Executive Assistant, Debbie, said that calls came in from every surrounding community–Danville, Indiana, Zionsville, and more. Residents from those towns were cleaning up in Lebanon at first light. Volunteers were making quick work of downed limbs. An AT&T staffer was inspecting homes so that when the power came back on they would be ready to hook up the phones.
Crystal Jones was huddled in an interior hallway, which she termed her safe spot. A tree limb remained pierced in her air conditioning unit,her gazebo was flattened, and debris littered her yard, including part of the Starbucks sign. She left her front and back door open, which she thinks may be why her house was the only one in her block to not have blown-out windows. Still, it was a frightening experience.
With the amount of damage the town was fortunate to have had only one injury, and it was not life-threatening. A family from outside the area had their semi-truck parked at the Flying J Restaurant, near Interstate 65. The tornado lifted the truck, which had ten dogs and all their household goods, and flipped it over. It came to rest on I-65. All ten dogs were captured and are now boarding in the Lebanon Street Department. Fortunately, the family had friends in the area and they are now staying with them.
In the annals of tornado damage, the twister that visited Lebanon might be described as doing limited damage. To the many homeowners who have badly damaged homes or trees in their yard or on houses, it is much more of a loss. As one resident of Meridian Road said, “It’s just amazing that we’re all here to talk about it.”
One sign of normalcy? By noon on Monday Starbucks was rolling a trailer, complete with coffee-making capability, in front of its badly damaged store.
