Officials report widespread tornado damage in Jefferson County; state disaster-relief application open

An agency official told the Jefferson County commissioners on June 25 that a tornado that struck overnight tracked about 23 miles and created a damage zone of roughly 55.5 square miles, with thousands of structures to be assessed.

“tornado came in about 03:00 in the morning,” the official said in a public update, adding that preliminary assessments identified roughly 4,832 structures within the affected area that may need inspection. He gave initial damage counts of about 10 homes destroyed, 35–36 with major damage and about 150 with minor damage.

The official said a state disaster declaration is active and urged residents seeking help to consult the Indiana Department of Homeland Security disaster‑relief application. He cautioned that it is too early to predict whether the county will meet thresholds for a presidential disaster declaration, but he encouraged affected residents to file the simple IDHS application, which collects name and contact information.

The county described ongoing debris removal, volunteer coordination and public‑works activity, and asked residents to avoid attempting to clear downed power lines. Commissioners and staff said they are coordinating assessments, mutual aid and cleanup, and that the county is working to identify needs for further state or federal assistance.

The update included accounts of local rescue and response efforts, reports of displaced families and notes about continued infrastructure impacts such as downed trees and sometimes‑disrupted communications. The county continues to collect and verify damage assessments and will share further guidance about assistance eligibility and timelines as information becomes available.