Residents come together after Bloomfield tornado

Roof shingles, trees through living rooms, boarded up windows and dozens of volunteers lined Bloomfield streets Wednesday. The scene was the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through the town Tuesday night with winds of over 100 miles per hour. There were no injuries reported.\n“It’s just a blessing that nobody was killed,” said Bloomfield resident Lynda Thornton, who spent the duration of the storm seeking shelter in her basement. “As far as I know, nobody was hurt, and it was quick.”\nThe tornado was one of several that ripped through the Midwest, including Kentucky, \nArkansas, Alabama and Tennessee and killed more than 50 people.\nThe estimated cost of the disaster in Bloomfield alone is $10,000, said Carol Stevens, executive director of the Wabash Valley Red Cross chapter.\nThe twister weaved through neighborhoods on the town’s southwest side. Thornton said the worst of the damage was on John Street; she referred to the area as a “war zone.”\nPhone lines were being repaired while teams of construction workers attempted to salvage homes. \n“For a small town, this is big news,” Thornton said. “It’s just nice to see this small community coming together like this.”\nThornton was accompanied by her son and daughter-in-law, both Bloomfield firefighters. The group said they were out cleaning up the town and directing traffic since 10 p.m. Tuesday. Volunteer fire departments from nearly every station in Greene County assisted them, said firefighter Doug Bayse.\nBloomfield High School sophomore Matt Bowman said he watched from an upstairs window as the tornado destroyed a nearby home. A neighbor’s roof was torn off and two trees were forced through a home across the street, but Bowman’s home was unscathed. \n“I was kind of worried (a tornado) would happen because of the wind,” he said. “Then the weather settled down, but a tornado barreled right through here.”\nTwo trees devoured a house on the corner of John and Spring streets. The family living there evacuated to stay with other family members. \nThe First Baptist Church in Bloomfield served as a refuge for families seeking shelter Tuesday, and police are preventing spectators in order to rush the cleanup operations that are in full force.\nThe Red Cross will meet with any disaster victims to determine what can be done to assist them, Stevens said. \nAnyone interested in consulting with the Red Cross may come to the Bloomfield Fire Department between 4 and 8 p.m. today or between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m tomorrow.