Water Damage Restoration in New Albany, IN

Green Valley Road in New Albany was the scene of several downed power lines.

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NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Aerial video captured a scene of power lines tipped over like dominos in New Albany after severe weather barreled through the region Wednesday evening.

At one point, more than 24,000 Duke Energy customers in Floyd County were without power. That's over 80% of Duke Energy customers who lost power in the severe storms.

“We’ve never had power lines go down like that," New Albany residents Sarah and Theresa Spengler said Thursday.

The Spenglers said they were glued to their window, watching the severe thunderstorms pummel through southern Indiana. They happened to look outside at the right moment.

“As we were looking out the door, we looked over this way, and all of the sudden there is a humongous explosion and it was so bright it almost knocked us into the hallway," Theresa Spengler said. She recalled how a lightening strike zapped the power line outside, plunging their home and neighboring homes into complete darkness.

“The lights flickered once. We heard another boom. They flicker off again, and then one more really big crash and then all of the lights go off completely, and stayed off," Sarah Spengler added.

Floyd County Emergency Services Director Kent Barrow said the area near Green Valley Road saw severe, straight-line winds --- and the powerlines couldn't withstand it.

“These are old poles that have been here quite some time," Barrow said, adding that the poles up the hill are newer and larger. "As it started snapping, the tension on the lines have pulled all the poles in one direction."

One resident even had a downed pole fall in her own backyard.

“I spoke to her just a few minutes ago and I told her she was very lucky," Barrow said. "I said, 'your house is still standing and you have no damage to your home.'"

Emergency services said power outages are the big concern for Thursday, but later into the week, flooding could be a very serious problem.

“Reports are that there’s water going to be in places that there’s never been before," Barrow said. "Last night even on some of the county roads that I was on, there was water going across those roads that I’ve never seen water go across.”

Barrow said Duke Energy will need several days to clean up the fractured poles and set new power lines down.

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 X feed.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Storms moved through southern Indiana leaving a trail of twisted trees, downed power lines and homes without power.

Utility crews fanned out across the area Thursday morning after daylight, to start assessing damage from Wednesday night's storms that spawned at least one tornado.

The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Lawrence County, near Bedford, just before 11 p.m. Wednesday. With 80 mph winds, the tornado was on the ground for .06 miles and damaged a pole barn near state Road 446, leaving only one exterior wall standing.

Barricades were quickly set up near the Floyd County 4-H Fairgrounds, as Duke Energy started working on repairing nearly a dozen utility poles.

The Floyd County Emergency Services director told WDRB that Green Valley Road in New Albany was likely one of the worst hit areas. That's where wide sections of toppled power poles were tangled into supply lines for a metal transformer.

Many of those downed power lines were in the yard of homeowner Georgia Gibbons. She said she and her dog rode out the storm in a closet.

"I didn't sleep. Believe me, you couldn't sleep. But it lit up. That's why I went in the closet. It was like the whole house lit up, and then nothing," she said.

By midday, Duke Energy outage map showed 4,000 still without power in Floyd and Clark counties. At the height of the storm, more than 30,000 were without power in southern Indiana.

With more storms in the forecast through the weekend, the National Weather Service in Louisville said it would not have any meteorologists on the ground in southern Indiana for damage surveys until at least Sunday or Monday. It may be days before residents know if the damage was from a tornado or straight line winds.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has activated the National Guard in at least 41 counties to help with damage assessments and recovery.

"Hoosier Guardsmen always answer the call to serve our state and our nation," Braun said in a written statement. "In times like these, I’m immensely grateful for the soldiers who are on the ground ensuring Hoosier safety."

Do you have damage photos or videos from the storm? Post them to the WDRB News Facebook page, or email them to webteam@wdrb.com.

Related stories:

Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.

Green Valley Road in New Albany was the scene of several downed power lines.

00:0102:41

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Aerial video captured a scene of power lines tipped over like dominos in New Albany after severe weather barreled through the region Wednesday evening.

At one point, more than 24,000 Duke Energy customers in Floyd County were without power. That's over 80% of Duke Energy customers who lost power in the severe storms.

“We’ve never had power lines go down like that," New Albany residents Sarah and Theresa Spengler said Thursday.

The Spenglers said they were glued to their window, watching the severe thunderstorms pummel through southern Indiana. They happened to look outside at the right moment.

“As we were looking out the door, we looked over this way, and all of the sudden there is a humongous explosion and it was so bright it almost knocked us into the hallway," Theresa Spengler said. She recalled how a lightening strike zapped the power line outside, plunging their home and neighboring homes into complete darkness.

“The lights flickered once. We heard another boom. They flicker off again, and then one more really big crash and then all of the lights go off completely, and stayed off," Sarah Spengler added.

Floyd County Emergency Services Director Kent Barrow said the area near Green Valley Road saw severe, straight-line winds --- and the powerlines couldn't withstand it.

“These are old poles that have been here quite some time," Barrow said, adding that the poles up the hill are newer and larger. "As it started snapping, the tension on the lines have pulled all the poles in one direction."

One resident even had a downed pole fall in her own backyard.

“I spoke to her just a few minutes ago and I told her she was very lucky," Barrow said. "I said, 'your house is still standing and you have no damage to your home.'"

Emergency services said power outages are the big concern for Thursday, but later into the week, flooding could be a very serious problem.

“Reports are that there’s water going to be in places that there’s never been before," Barrow said. "Last night even on some of the county roads that I was on, there was water going across those roads that I’ve never seen water go across.”

Barrow said Duke Energy will need several days to clean up the fractured poles and set new power lines down.

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 X feed.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Storms moved through southern Indiana leaving a trail of twisted trees, downed power lines and homes without power.

Utility crews fanned out across the area Thursday morning after daylight, to start assessing damage from Wednesday night's storms that spawned at least one tornado.

The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Lawrence County, near Bedford, just before 11 p.m. Wednesday. With 80 mph winds, the tornado was on the ground for .06 miles and damaged a pole barn near state Road 446, leaving only one exterior wall standing.

Barricades were quickly set up near the Floyd County 4-H Fairgrounds, as Duke Energy started working on repairing nearly a dozen utility poles.

The Floyd County Emergency Services director told WDRB that Green Valley Road in New Albany was likely one of the worst hit areas. That's where wide sections of toppled power poles were tangled into supply lines for a metal transformer.

Many of those downed power lines were in the yard of homeowner Georgia Gibbons. She said she and her dog rode out the storm in a closet.

"I didn't sleep. Believe me, you couldn't sleep. But it lit up. That's why I went in the closet. It was like the whole house lit up, and then nothing," she said.

By midday, Duke Energy outage map showed 4,000 still without power in Floyd and Clark counties. At the height of the storm, more than 30,000 were without power in southern Indiana.

With more storms in the forecast through the weekend, the National Weather Service in Louisville said it would not have any meteorologists on the ground in southern Indiana for damage surveys until at least Sunday or Monday. It may be days before residents know if the damage was from a tornado or straight line winds.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has activated the National Guard in at least 41 counties to help with damage assessments and recovery.

"Hoosier Guardsmen always answer the call to serve our state and our nation," Braun said in a written statement. "In times like these, I’m immensely grateful for the soldiers who are on the ground ensuring Hoosier safety."

Do you have damage photos or videos from the storm? Post them to the WDRB News Facebook page, or email them to webteam@wdrb.com.

Related stories:

Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.

The Floyd County Commissioners are moving toward removal of a low-head dam that closed the Blackiston Mill Road bridge when it failed earlier this year. That could mean drivers will be able to use the connection between Clarksville and New Albany before a new bridge is built.

Drivers lost a major connector between Clarksville and New Albany in February when the Blackiston Mill Dam in Silver Creek failed. The water flowing through it was aimed directly at the foundation of the nearby bridge, making the structure unsafe for travel.

Horacio Urieta, Floyd County engineer, said the bridge’s closure has made a big impact on residents.

“That bridge, in the normal schedule, is carrying about more than 13,000 cars a day,” he said. “So [it] hit the people pretty hard, because…the only way they can get out is go to the end of Clarksville, or I-65.”

But drivers could access the bridge in the coming months, if Floyd County Commissioners’ plans go accordingly.

At their Tuesday meeting, the commissioners approved an agreement with EcoSystems Connections Institute, LLC to remove the dam. That includes navigating state requirements.

“If all those [state] agencies sign off and the dam comes down and it's a repairable bridge, then it could be as early as May,” Commissioners President Al Knable said of a possible reopening time. “But if any of those steps fall apart, then it's just not going to reopen. We're not going to put people's lives in jeopardy for convenience.”

Knable said one of the stipulations in the agreement is that dam removal plans don’t push back the timeline on a replacement bridge.

Before the dam failed, county commissioners were already working on a plan that would replace the bridge that’s currently closed. Knable said plans started in 2017 and the structure is expected to be finished in 2027.

A few months ago, that project was estimated at around $5 million, with $4 million coming from federal funds. The most recent estimate is $8.5 million, and the county is on the hook for more than half of it.

“It has to do with inflation,” Knable said of the increase. “It has to do with the perception that tariffs may drive material cost up and it has to do… with the level of detail of this estimate.”

The goal after removing the dam is to reopen the existing bridge while construction on the replacement continues.

The commissioners’ vote comes as litigation continues with another low-head dam on Silver Creek.

The city of New Albany is involved in multiple legal cases focused on the Providence Mill Dam, also known as the Glenwood Park Dam.

That includes a lawsuit brought by the mother of A.J. Edwards Jr., a 14-year-old boy who drowned at the low-head dam last May. His mother says New Albany and other municipalities are to blame for her son’s death.

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan has fought the dam’s removal for several years, challenging a permit secured on behalf of River Heritage Conservancy, which is overseeing plans for Origin Park.

The city is also being sued on behalf of Indiana DNR for what they say was work done at the dam last year without proper permitting.

In August, around two months after Edwards’ death, Gahan had rocks placed at the dam to prevent the recirculating currents.

DNR officials have said they want the dam restored. The parties will meet for a hearing on default judgement in that case later this month. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has also given the city until June to produce plans for restoration.

Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.