Storms Wreak Havoc in Kankakee Valley Area

Melody Drive In damage
Winds demolish Screen One at the Melody Drive-In

Fierce storms whipped through the Kankakee Valley area Friday night causing damage.

The storm caused flooding in Pulaski County where over three inches of rain fell in a half-hour period. A Pulaski County officer noted to dispatch that the water was up over the hood of his squad car while in the town of Winamac. The drains couldn’t keep up with the amount of water that fell in that short amount of time. Several cars were stranded in the road during the storm, several trees fell, a power outage was reported, and several roads washed out as a result of the rushing water. Homeowners may also need to deal with roofing damages due to heavy rains and strong winds. Businesses have been affected as well, making commercial roof replacement companies a bit busier than usual for this time of year.

The Pulaski County Highway Department was out Saturday patching up the roads and cutting up the many trees that fell in the road.

Luckily, no injuries were reported.

The Melody Drive-In theater at Bass Lake suffered damage as well with the demolition of Screen One. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a couple of other notices of trees down but no other damage.

Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery said there is ponding in fields in the Marshall County area and he’s monitoring river levels after the storms. Trees were reported down in the area, but no injuries were reported.

Photos by Denice Daggett and William Boldt