x
Breaking News
More () »

Remembering destructive tornadoes that tore through Henryville, southern Indiana

The community remembers the moments leading up to the horrific tornadoes that tore through the area on March 2, 2012.

HENRYVILLE, Indiana — A school demolished, a toddler found in a field and a mother who lost her legs but saved her children were some of the stories that evolved from the destructive tornadoes that hit southern Indiana nine years ago.

"I will tell you the day of March 2nd, it was beautiful in the morning. It was comfortable. It warmed up pretty fast- got into the mid-80s," Troy Albert, Salem High School principal said. "I came to work normal time, was prepared to go home normal time but that didn't happen."

Instead, a 60-minute blur, beginning at the end of former Henryville Principal Troy Albert's lunch.

"As I was coming back, clouds are starting to come in but nothing real serious. And then we were watching, and we didn't get an alarm on our weather channels or anything like that but I got a call from the superintendent and he says- it's coming right at you," he said.

And it was.

An EF-4 tornado tore through southern Indiana and taking aim at Henryville High School.

"We thought it was in the best interest for us to evacuate the building so we dismissed."

Dozens were loaded onto district busses, delivered to a safer space.

Except eleven students along with a bus driver caught in its path.

"There's a tornado – right there guys- look at the funnel cloud!", the driver said to her students. "Guys we are just going to go as fast as we can into the school!"

Moments after she decided to turn around.

"If you got a book to put over your head, do it. Get in the middle," she said.

The bus, only a few blocks from the school was in a race against time.

"Don't block me truck, don't block me."

Pulling into the school parking lot, surveillance cameras caught the mad dash as the students raced inside.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!”, she said as she hurries students.

Then only 6 seconds later, the bus starts to blow away.

"It was a very loud noise – it was like a bomb exploded,” Albert said.

High winds wiped out walls, clearing classrooms with debris and damage left behind.

"It’s like a needle in a haystack - it just happens that we were picked," he said.

The tornado was one of string that ripped through southern Indiana and Kentucky, killing 34 people and injuring hundreds.

"This was a worst case scenario for us. Even though we were prepared there is no way you can prepare for something like this."

Three hundred homes in Indiana were destroyed, more than 100 of those were in Clark County alone.

The clean and re-build took years with volunteers traveling from across the country to help while those who called the community home held on to what they could.

"Even though it’s going to be rebuilt- this is just a memory now."

Years later, the view from above is different, but the memory of the tornado that tore through the town will never completely fade.

"Everyone's fine and then next thing you know everything's gone."

►Contact reporter Shay McAlister at smcalister@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Shay) and Facebook.

►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.  

Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.  

Before You Leave, Check This Out