New Paris neighbors picking up the pieces - and bracing for more storms this week

NEW PARIS, Ind. - The scars from the recent line of storms that blew straight-line winds through Southern and Central Indiana are still visible in New Paris.

"I guess it was a mini tornado that rolled through," said Kenneth Miller, the owner of Miller's Soft Wash. He thought the worst of the storm was over Friday night and was about to go to bed, when suddenly, around 11 p.m., the winds picked back up.

"It sounded like a train going overhead!" he said. "It was an eerie sound!"

Miller added he'd never seen a storm like that hit New Paris before.

Some train wheel covers were blown off of a passing train, damaging headstones at a nearby cemetery.

Just a half-mile away, some real damage could be seen at a nearby farm:

Several barns were blown apart in the high winds, a utility panel was completely bent over, an irrigation sprinkler was destroyed and several solar panels were demolished.

The winds were so strong, the wooden boards from the destroyed barns had been driven into some of those solar panels, and nearby road signs were bent completely over.

I reached out to the owners of the farm but they declined to be interviewed. It's currently unclear the extent of the damage and how much it'll cost to be repaired.

Miller himself got off relatively easy with only some minor damage to the fence around his house.

But the coast is not clear just yet.

Miller, who follows local weather coverage, hopes more people pay attention and stay as safe as they can.

"If they say 'take shelter,' take shelter!" he said.

If you need to stay up to date on the weather conditions, you can always download the ABC57 Mobile Weather App.