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Elkhart officials outline storm damage and recovery after EF‑2 tornado and widespread outages
Summary
At a June council meeting, Elkhart emergency officials described widespread storm damage, preliminary National Weather Service findings of an EF‑2 touchdown in the city and ongoing recovery work; the city logged more than 1,200 calls and activated a debris-management plan.
Elkhart officials told the Common Council that recovery work is under way after a severe storm system that produced straight-line winds and an EF‑2 tornado within city limits.
Assistant Chief Christy Summer of the Elkhart Fire Department reported that the Elkhart Communication Center processed "350 plus storm related calls for service between 11 PM on June 11 and midnight on June 13" and that dispatchers "entered answered more than 1,200 total calls" during that span. City staff had received 163 reports through the 311 system as of the meeting, Summer said: 70 involved storm-related property damage and 93 involved downed trees.
Summer said preliminary National Weather Service findings indicated straight-line winds up to 85 mph and an EF‑2 tornado about 200 feet wide that touched down in the city; officials are awaiting confirmation on the tornado’s full path and extent of impact. "Damage assessments are currently underway throughout the community," she said, and the city is coordinating with Elkhart County Emergency Management to identify residents’ needs, assist affected citizens and finalize a debris-management plan.
Mayor’s staff and department heads told the council that utility restoration was far-reaching but largely complete for services that could be restored; the incident management team asked residents to report damage through 311 so officials can compile a full account of affected structures. Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers and the Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) have been activated to assist with food, clothing and housing needs, the administration said.
Officials urged residents to place debris at the curb on instructed routes once the city publishes them, and warned that assessments of public‑facility impacts (parks, cemeteries, public works infrastructure) are ongoing. A buildings-and-grounds representative said crews had been working around the clock to clear streets and neighborhoods and anticipated reopening blocked streets by the evening referenced in the meeting report.
The council did not take any binding policy votes during the briefing; department leaders said they would return with more-complete damage counts and timelines as assessments conclude.
