VALPARAISO, Ind. – Severe weather that passed through Northwest Indiana Sunday afternoon left behind widespread damage and even resulted in a fatality in Valparaiso.
The storm system also affected the Chicago area, bringing strong wind gusts, heavy downpours and prompting several watches and warnings.
What we know:
Wind gusts exceeding 80 miles per hour battered Northwest Indiana around 3 p.m.
Julyann Sentoro and her family were inside their home in Valparaiso when the high winds and heavy rain caused significant damage.
“My youngest daughter was shutting the front windows and that’s when I heard that fall,” said Sentoro. “Then we heard this other pine tree fall and that’s when I was like ‘I think we need to get to the basement.'”
Sentoro added that her family helped a couple whose motorcycle became stalled after branches blocked the road.
“Honestly I think if there was a lesson, it’s just more about coming together as a community… whether you know each other or not,” Sentoro said.
The severe winds also caused a tractor-trailer to overturn at Pratt Industries in Valparaiso around 4:15 p.m.
The driver, 34-year-old Jagbir Singh of Canada, died at the scene.
RELATED: Truck driver dies after semi overturns during severe weather in Valparaiso: police
In Highland, a large tree also snapped in half, landing on a family’s roof. Fortunately, the family was not home at the time, and no injuries were reported.
At the height of the storm, NIPSCO reported 34,000 customers were affected by power outages as power lines came down.
What’s next:
Cleanup efforts are expected to continue over the next few days, as neighbors begin assessing the widespread damage.
