Severe storm prompts Elkhart County fairground evacuation - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Severe storm prompts Elkhart County fairground evacuation

Posted: Updated:
GOSHEN -

A northern Indiana county fair official says one of the lessons from last year's deadly Indiana State Fair stage collapse played a role in his decision to evacuate the county's grandstands ahead of a severe thunderstorm.

Elkhart County Fair emergency director Phil Wogoman says he ordered Thursday's evacuation of the grandstands at the Goshen fairgrounds because he feared lightning might strike fairgoers.

Wogoman tells WSBT-TV most of the fair's emergency procedures were in place before high winds toppled a State Fair stage last August, killing seven people awaiting the start of a Sugarland concert.

But he says Elkhart County's fair now uses a private meteorological service to monitor weather. Using such as service was one of the recommendations made by a company that investigated the deadly stage collapse.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Powered by WorldNow
Links to the FCC website to view WTHR and/or WALV’s on-line public inspection files:
WTHR: https://stations.fcc.gov/station-profile/WTHR   ||   WALV: https://stations.fcc.gov/station-profile/WALV
Individuals with disabilities may contact Jill Pursell at publicfile@wthr.com, or 317.655.5602, for assistance with access to the public inspection files.
Powered by WorldNowAll content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WTHR. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.