Community tornado shelters open in rural counties ahead of storm threat

INDIANA -- Several counties across Northwestern Indiana opened community tornado shelters ahead of expected severe weather on Wednesday.

Pulaski, Starke, Fulton and Kosciusko counties all provided lists of shelters in the area that would be open during the storm threat.

In Starke County, the initiative was run by volunteers. Misty Carey, Starke County Chief Deputy Coroner, was one of those volunteers.

“Everybody is just volunteering to make sure our community is safe,” Carey said.

Carey volunteered at the Washington Township Community Building, one of four shelters in Starke. The building had a generator ready, and bathrooms were to be used for shelter if sirens sounded.

Other shelters participating in the community effort were Oregon-Davis High School, The Lord’s Armory and Bass Lake Fire Department. All locations began accepting residents at 3:00 P.M. and stayed open during the active weather threat.

The decision for the county to open these shelters was inspired by a notable elderly population, as well as a lot of residents living in mobile homes or without basements.

“We’ve got a lot of people that live in campers, live in mobile homes or not have basements,” Carey said.

The county plans to continue offering community shelter spaces during future weather threats.