'A harsh reality': Carmel cleans up severe damage after the strongest storm many have seen

Yahoo

03-04-2025

CARMEL — For nearly 50 years, Ritron, a Carmel manufacturing company, has operated without drawing too much attention, despite the business making common devices Hoosiers use every day, such as two-way radios.
But on Thursday morning, the business in Midtown on Carmel Drive was turning heads after extreme winds and a tornado blew through the area, dismantling the front of the warehouse. The front wall was completely ripped off with shattered glass spread all over the parking lot, and two letters missing from the sign on the building. Workers could be seen collecting personal items and family photos from the wreckage.
Owner Steve Rice said he was figuratively "running on steroids" as he drove to Ritron to see the possible damage late Wednesday night.
"Unless you've been through it, you think 'Oh, that won't affect me. It's just a thing I observe," Rice said. "It's a harsh reality."
The National Weather Service said Carmel sustained EF1 tornado damage, meaning speeds ranged from 86 to 110 miles per hour.
The Hamilton County storm was one of as many as four suspected tornadoes that ripped through Central Indiana late Wednesday night, leaving various degrees of destruction in their path. At least one person died in Hendricks County during the storms.
Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam declared a state of emergency for the city early Thursday afternoon, allowing public safety departments to operate at full force to respond to neighbors' needs. The Carmel City Council also voted in an emergency meeting to allocate up to $250,000 from the city's general fund to pay for damage and cleanup, in addition to up to $50,000 to be directed to a parks fund.
More: See path of unconfirmed tornado that tore through Carmel, Hamilton County
When the morning sun broke in Midtown Carmel Thursday, a string of business owners showed up to work to find ripped-off roofs and overturned trees. At one gym, equipment had flown nearly 50 feet into the adjacent Monon Trail. Nearby, drywall of a warehouse hung in the trees.
Dozens of neighbors roamed the streets early Thursday morning, snapping pictures of the visible damage. The area of severe damage appeared to be relatively narrow and at times random along Third Ave SW between Carmel and Gradle Drive. Roads a block away were clear of debris and damage. There are no known deaths, and one minor injury related to the storms in Carmel.
At Ozwell Fitness, a glass dome had been blown out, with equipment flying into the nearby ditch and Monon Trail overnight. Manager Grace Huber arrived at 5:45 a.m. to see the damage with her own eyes.
"I was checking the weather off and on, and once the security cameras went out, I was like, I have to get there before we open just to assess," Huber said. "The wind just came and blew everything out."
While the gym was closed, members showed up early Thursday morning to help clean up instead of work out.
Several building inspectors and insurance representatives were out in the area inspecting damage. Most businesses along the street did not have power.
Rebecca Harden clutched a cup of coffee as she walked through the parking lot next to Ozwell, dodging rogue tree branches and a downed light pole. Harden said she works at a construction company across the street and came in this morning to make sure the building was still standing.
"Thank God we even have an office to go back to," she said, looking at the banged-up structures all around her.
Hendricks County: Trees toppled, warehouses wrecked as Brownsburg assesses tornado damage
Mandy Dickey of Anderson and Bonnie Meredith of Middletown pulled over to the side of the road to stop and take a picture of the damage at the Carmel Old Town Antique Mall, where the south end of the building was gone. The building's insulation hung in trees nearby.
The sisters drove to work like normal Thursday. On their commute, they didn't see too much out of the ordinary besides the occasional tree down on the side of the road, until they turned the corner and saw the antique shop and its surrounding businesses.
"We've never seen anything like this," Dickey said.
Though it's unclear how much the damage will cost his business, Ritron owner Rice was grateful that the storm hit overnight, and no one was in the building at the time. He said he would "chalk it up to God's favor."
Rice believes the tornado path on the north side went directly over the building based on visible damage and news reports. Early reports from Rice's structural engineers were a relief. The offices got hit the hardest, and expensive circuit equipment and ready-to-go products were safe from water damage.
On Thursday morning, the biggest thing on his mind was the number of people who showed up before the sun rose to survey the damage.
"I'm really just grateful for these relationships you build up over the years that are little jobs and repairs and then you have something like this, and that trusted vendor is here at 8 in the morning," Rice said, growing emotional. "I don't want to take them for granted."
Residents whose homes received structural damage from the storm should report it to the Street Department, and Carmel City Building Inspectors will schedule an assessment, city officials said.
To contact the Street Department, email [e-mail] or call 317-733-2001
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contact IndyStar reporter Alysa Guffey at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Carmel residents face aftermath of unconfirmed tornado on north side