During the early morning of November 6, 2005, a devastating tornado traveled just over 41 miles from near Smith Mills, KY through southern Evansville, IN northeast to near Gentryville, IN. The tornado crossed the Ohio River three times. 25 people lost their lives along the path. It was the deadliest tornado to hit Indiana since 1974.
The tornado developed in NW Henderson County, KY. It raced to the east-northeast moving across the Ohio River bottomland. An aerial survey showed a “well-defined swath of snapped and uprooted trees.” A farm house northeast of Smith Mills was destroyed. A pickup truck at the house was thrown into a field.
Per the NWS, the first time the tornado crossed the Ohio River was “into a peninsular section of Vanderburgh County, Indiana.” In this area, a two-story house built in 1875 had major roof damage. The survey noted that tree branches were embedded into the house. A farm equipment shed was demolished and another was damaged. “A 10,000-pound truck was flipped over.” The tornado crossed the Ohio River back into Henderson County, KY into another flood plain. It crossed a third time over the river less than a mile west of the U.S. Highway 41 twin bridges. There was extensive tree damage on both sides of the river.
The tornado hit Ellis Park, a horse racing facility. Damage occurred to the grandstands and housing facilities for jockeys. There were a few race horses that were killed. After striking the park, the tornado moved back into Vanderburgh County, IN.
The NWS summary notes that the tornado was still racing to the east-northeast at this point. It was clocked at 60 mph. A large mobile home park near Interstate 164 on the south side of Evansville was hit. 20 people were killed here. There were 350 mobile homes at the park, 100 were destroyed and 125 damaged. It was a devastating scene. Several bodies were carried almost 200 yards and many were found near a nearby retention pond. Per the NWS Summary, “The coroner reported that most of the victims were probably killed instantly, many by spine and skull fractures. Several bodies were carried almost two hundred yards. Several of the fatally injured persons were found in a nearby retention pond that was drained to find victims.”
There was an 8-year-old who was found alive in a ditch. He had been trapped under debris for around 12 hours.
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