HENRYVILLE, IN (WAVE) – Indiana
State Police officers are stationed at every entrance to Henryville, allowing
only residents, their families, and volunteers into the city.
Inside, the tone of what's
happening has changed over the weekend.
"We feel like we have
everyone accounted for so we've stopped that search and rescue mode and
actually switched into a security mode," said
Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin.
Crews and volunteers started
cleaning up on Sunday, with some people coming from far away.
"Upstate Rochester, New York,"
is where Jon Brennan came from.
He and a few others saw
the powerful images on the news, packed up some of their heavy equipment, and
drove 12 hours.
"The quicker they get
back to normal the better it is for everybody," New
York volunteer Chuck Andolino told WAVE 3 News.
Getting things back to normal
will also help cut down on the opportunity for looting in the city. A
storage shed was also destroyed by Friday's twister, leaving hundreds of items
out in the open.
Down the street, valuable
copper sits exposed in what once was a bathroom and
in one back yard, both
a TV and cash register sit out in the open, an opportunity for thieves to
cash in.
"It always does get in
the back of your mind, but the only time I lock my doors is at night," said Tom Watson. His home was damaged, but he's
still able to live inside.
Extra officers from all around
the area are working overtime to keep everyone – and everything – safe.
"We've got state
officers, we've got county officers, we've even got city officers who've all
volunteered to come down and we've got the National
Guard and I'll just tell you this isn't the
place to come for mischief because you're going to be caught," Sgt. Goodin said.
A fence now surrounds what's left of this Henryville School
and the mangled cars and buses that still remain, as several "No Trespassing"
signs make it clear to keep out.
A few streets over, Jamie Purdue's house is damaged, but
livable; a blue tarp acts as a makeshift
wall.
She said she doesn't fear anyone trying to steal her things
in the dark.
"It doesn't bother
me. There's crazy people, yeah, but it doesn't bother me because there's
going to be cops everywhere," Purdue said, adding
the she also has dogs who will alert her of anything suspicious.
Her biggest concern is comforting her 7-year-old son, who
saw the twister in the sky.
"It just went right past
the school and broke it," Simon Powell said.
Her family is trying to
heal, thankful for the volunteers and free meals.
Elsewhere around the city, signs
of phone crews trying to restore spotty reception and
even portable toilets are all images that
Henryville is working hard to bounce back.
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