The sound of chainsaws echoed across western Monroe County Thursday as residents cleared fallen trees, checked damaged homes and waited for power to return after a tornado hit the area overnight.
One person was injured and no fatalities were reported after a tornado touched down near Gosport, Stinesville and I-69, according to Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Brown.
The South Central Indiana REMC outage map shows widespread power outages across the area. County highway crews are continuing to clear fallen trees and downed power lines from the roads.
The American Red Cross is offering meals and emergency shelter at the Stinesville Community Center for anyone affected.
Liberty Hollow Road resident Sandy Sheffield said the storm damage has been devastating.
“We saw a little bit of the damage last night, but when it was daylight, and come out, it was like unbelievable how many trees and how much damage there was,” Sheffield said.
She and her husband have lived on the road for 41 years. She said the storm was unlike anything they had experienced.
Sheffield said she was watching the storm on television with her husband around 10 p.m. when the power went out. Moments later, an emergency warning appeared on their phones.
“We could hear the wind, and then we started hearing crashes, and so I headed to the bathroom, and he followed, but by the time we got there, it was pretty much over,” Sheffield said.
The tornado damaged their house, shattered windshields on three vehicles and struck their garage. The top of an outbuilding was torn away, and a woodshop barn was destroyed.
Among the trees lost was a 39-year-old evergreen planted by the family for their son’s first Christmas. Their son died nine years ago.
“It is bad, but we were fortunate that no one was hurt down here, and that we didn't lose our house,” Sheffield said.
The Sheffields have a generator while waiting for power to return. Sheffield's husband, 73, has COPD and relies on supplemental oxygen.
“I have a feeling our power might be out for a while, so we have someone bringing us gas for the generator,” Sheffield said. “We're waiting for people to come and cut the trees off the drive.”
She said first responders from Ellettsville checked on residents throughout the night, even walking into neighborhoods where roads were blocked by debris.
“They came to check to make sure we were okay and was checking on the other people in the neighborhood,” Sheffield said. “Then this morning, before daylight, there was another two people that came to make sure that we were okay.”
Sheffield said road crews were out all morning clearing trees and debris.
Beyond Sheffield’s property, a tree lay on the roof of one neighbor's home. Another resident worked with two friends to clear enough debris from his driveway to free his truck.
East of the Sheffield’s, fallen trees blocked Bowsman Road. The last accessible driveway became a turnaround point for stopped vehicles.
One resident, who moved to the area in 2023, said she had seen tornadoes pass near her home three times in recent years but had never experienced one this close.
“There's just so much to clean up and to get fixed,” Sheffield said. “I don't know where we really start, you know, other than getting out of the drive first.”
