Yesterday’s EF-3 tornado in Kokomo caused only minor injuries to Howard County residents, but extensive damage.  More than 200 people spent the night at an emergency Red Cross shelter at the Kokomo Event and Conference Center.  Red Cross spokesman Mark Slusher says more than 100 homes were classified as destroyed.

 The Howard County Sheriff’s Department says only 10 to 15 people suffered minor injuries.  Today, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security says power needed to be restored to more than 18,000 people after the storms.  The agency says four tornado watches and 44 tornado warnings were issued yesterday, all in 29 counties.

Yesterday’s outbreak – including the large tornado that hit Kokomo – is unusual for Indiana.  As Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Nick Janzen reports, yesterday’s high pressure system over Southern Indiana and cold front over the north were to blame.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence spent time this morning in Kokomo in a neighborhood that has seen homes damaged by a tornado for the second time in three years.  The governor said it was a miracle that no one was killed by the storms, and credited early warnings and quick thinking of officials.

Pence arrived in Kokomo by helicopter, after being out-of-state campaigning on the presidential ticket in recent days.

Photos of storm damage from Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Annie Ropeik show tree damage and a destroyed Starbuck’s location in Kokomo.