Bloomington Tornado leaves trail of destruction across Indiana

A tornado swept through Bloomington on Thursday, February 19, damaging a car dealership and tearing roofs off houses in the city of 80,000 people in Indiana.

The tornado had 70 mph wind gusts, the result of an enormous winter storm system that produced tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana. None of the injuries has been reported.

The footage of the scene showed the Fifth Third Bank, with a collapsed roof and a shredded facade, in a crowded shopping center. Rubbish on the floor of the parking lot.

A Kia dealership was significantly damaged. The building used metal, which was tossed over the lot and cars. A few vehicles had shattered windshields. Certain vehicles were of air during the storm.

The residential neighborhoods on the west side of Bloomington suffered a blow. A section of the roof of one house had been torn off. There was extensive damage to the garage door.

One of its buildings could have collapsed, according to the Monroe County Humane Society. Another building was damaged, with its roof and windows. Employees evacuated every animal.

Southeastern Illinois was the previous target of the same tornado system, which left a trail of six miles and destroyed at least a dozen buildings. Mobile homes had been overturned. One woman was trapped inside until some rescue personnel arrived at the scene.

The weather system that spawned the storms was 1,000 miles long, beginning in Ohio and extending to Nebraska, where almost a foot of snow had blanketed Omaha.

A wind alert has been issued for Friday, February 20, in regions of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio, where 45mph gusts are likely.

The National Weather Service issued a warning that strong winds could blow unsecured items and tree branches, potentially causing power outages.