The Clear Creek Post Office is closed indefinitely after a tornado severely damaged the building, ripping off the roof and an exterior wall. No one was injured.
A release from postal officials directed Clear Creek customers to the Smithville Post Office until the facility reopens.
The Smithville Post Office will operate Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9a.m. to noon while the Clear Creek office is closed.
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USPS says that street delivery should not be affected.
The tornado on May 16 was the second to touch down in the Bloomington area this year.
Paul Staten, an IU atmospheric science professor, said although research suggests seasonal tornado activity is shifting east from the traditional tornado alley region, no direct evidence links this year’s storms in Bloomington to that trend.
“I'm guessing that what's going on with this rash of tornadoes here around Bloomington is just that, if you roll dice long enough, sometimes you'll roll a bunch of sixes,” Staten said.
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Tornadoes are formed when rising warm air collides with cold air above it, creating rotation that can develop into funnel-shaped winds.
Staten said many people misunderstand the real dangers of tornadoes. He said the tornado itself is rarely the most immediate threat.
“The other thing to remember about tornadoes that I think a lot of us forget is that it's the debris that kills,” Staten said. “It's not often like getting sucked up in a vortex, like in Twisters or something. It's the debris.”
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