Uploaded August 2016 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Sorry for the inappropriately upbeat music playing in my car!
I was in Kokomo when the EF3 struck, and just a little over half a mile from the main path of destruction. Since some of the traffic lights were back on and a good portion of electricity was restored in town, I figured it would be a better time to drive by the destruction than right after it happened (which I couldn't do anyway, considering how backed up traffic was). You can see where the Starbucks building was that got entirely flattened, along with the rest of the Markland Mall area that was hit by the funnel and a block to the south on Railroad St.
I've been by this area many, many times, and it's unsettling to see such a familiar area destroyed like that. I can't imagine what it must be like for the victims in Cedar Crest, especially considering several of their homes were just finished being rebuilt after the EF2 that hit the same neighborhood on November 17, 2013. A couple of my friends live in an apartment complex that was torn apart too, and I'm hoping the best for them. They were away when it happened, but they weren't allowed to check on their own room and grab any belongings they needed (pets included!).
According to the Weather Channel, August 24, 2016 contains a record number of tornadoes forming in the same day during the month of August. Most of them were concentrated in Central Indiana.
Sorry for the inappropriately upbeat music playing in my car!
I was in Kokomo when the EF3 struck, and just a little over half a mile from the main path of destruction. Since some of the traffic lights were back on and a good portion of electricity was restored in town, I figured it would be a better time to drive by the destruction than right after it happened (which I couldn't do anyway, considering how backed up traffic was). You can see where the Starbucks building was that got entirely flattened, along with the rest of the Markland Mall area that was hit by the funnel and a block to the south on Railroad St.
I've been by this area many, many times, and it's unsettling to see such a familiar area destroyed like that. I can't imagine what it must be like for the victims in Cedar Crest, especially considering several of their homes were just finished being rebuilt after the EF2 that hit the same neighborhood on November 17, 2013. A couple of my friends live in an apartment complex that was torn apart too, and I'm hoping the best for them. They were away when it happened, but they weren't allowed to check on their own room and grab any belongings they needed (pets included!).
According to the Weather Channel, August 24, 2016 contains a record number of tornadoes forming in the same day during the month of August. Most of them were concentrated in Central Indiana.
