Updates on Tornado That Ripped Through Newton County
LAKE VILLAGE, Ind. — A destructive tornado tore through Lake Village on Tuesday, and two people have been tentatively identified.
At a Wednesday press conference at the Lake Village Community Center, Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield described a scene where volunteer firefighters spent the overnight hours navigating pitch-black darkness and dangerous debris to find neighbors trapped in the wreckage. Fifield noted that while crews found two people who had died in the storm, a second round of searches on Wednesday turned up no more victims. The Newton County Coroner’s Office tentatively identified the victims as 89-year-old Edward Kozlowski and his wife, 84-year-old Arlene.
Their preliminary causes of death have been ruled as “multiple blunt force trauma” and an autopsy is set for Friday morning at the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office in Lafayette.
“The Lake Village Volunteer Fire Department immediately went out and began searching for survivors, assessing damage, evaluating the situation as it was unfolding,” Fifield said. “They searched literally hundreds of homes in the dark under difficult terrains and very dangerous circumstances with live power lines down.”
Many buildings were found damaged or completely destroyed. Fifield warned that these numbers are conservative because crews are still finding homes blocked by fallen trees and downed lines. While NIPSCO has managed to restore power to thousands, over 1,200 people in Lake Village are still waiting for power to come back on.
