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Storms hit Broad Ripple hard with trees and power lines down, street flooding

Initial sounding of sirens caused confusion
Posted at 10:59 AM, Aug 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-26 21:25:40-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Broad Ripple neighborhood saw the brunt of storm damage as a result of strong winds and a prompted Tornado Warning Friday morning. 

Large trees and power lines were knocked down by a sudden and severe storm that came with little warning, leaving 20,000 people without power.

The Department of Public Works received more than 15 reports of downed trees including at 56th Street and Allisonville Road, 57th Street east of Keystone Avenue, Kessler Boulevard and Olney Street, 64th Street and Central Avenue,  58th Street and Oakland Avenue, and Kessler Boulevard and Fall Creek Parkway.  A tree also fell on a house at 62nd Street and Sherman Drive.

Many streets in the Broad Ripple area were flooded including 62nd and Allisonville Road, 56th Street and Keystone Avenue, and behind the Vogue theater. People were being asked to stay away from roadways with high water.

The National Weather Service says the Indianapolis area received approximately four inches of rain in six hours.

Tornado sirens sounded in Indianapolis around 8:20 a.m. Friday morning after police officers reported seeing funnel clouds in downtown Indianapolis and near the State Fairgrounds.

The Marion County Emergency Operations Center received reports around 8:34 a.m. of a shelf cloud moving through the county.

There was also a report from IMPD officers of a funnel cloud with rotation near the area of 38th Street and Industrial Boulevard, a second report near the State Fairgrounds and Keystone Avenue, and a third report of a funnel cloud spotted near the Washington Street and Mitthoefer Road area.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Marion, Hamilton and Hancock counties around 9 a.m. followed quickly by a tornado warning.

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