Aug 6, 2008 5:24 pm US/Central
NW Indiana Residents Begin Serious Cleanup Effort
Tornado Swept Through Griffith, Ind., Leaving Many Homes Uninhabitable
MUNSTER, Ind. (CBS) ―
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Many of the Jelenski family's belongings were flung into their yard after a tornado swept through and left their house uninhabitable.
CBS
Residents of northwest Indiana are picking up the pieces Wednesday in their struggle to rebuild.
CBS 2 Northwest Indiana Bureau Chief Pamela Jones reports the town of Munster, Ind., is still under a boil order, and the national Night Out had to be rescheduled to Aug. 12 because of all the damage.
City crews are picking up all the fallen trees – some of them planted in the 1950s.
In nearby Griffith, CBS 2 is told at least 100 homes are unlivable, including the Jelenski family's house.
The tornado tossed many of the Jelenskis' belongings all over the yard, but the family keeps smiling. A "For Sale By Owner" sign out front stands to bring some humor in the midst of devastation.
"He can't yell at me about my stuff being all over," Elaine Jelenski joked.
Elaine and Jeff Jelenski have 15 years of memories packed into a moving truck. They're still salvaging things like a battered baseball trophy and their daughter's dolls in a plastic bin.
"I think my 6-year-old, he seems to be handling it OK because I don't think he's really registering everything," Jeff Jelenski said. "My 9-year-old, she's having a tough time."
Wednesday is about saying thank you, though, to the companies providing trailers of ice and water – and to the Jelenskis' next door neighbor, Pat Nashkoff, who ran to the family's home with a warning when the bad weather was headed their way.
"Things just started exploding on us and we just hit the ground and piled on top of each other and if she did not do that my son and myself would have been… we would not have made it out of this because it was like being in a war," Elaine Jelenski said.
And while they talk to their insurance agent and watch the effort to restore electricity, they're holding on to what really matters.
"I got the most important things -- my babies and I have my best friend still -- and I don't care about anything else," Elaine Jelenski said.
The American Red Cross is out doing individual assessments of the homes in the area. That information will then be given to the cities and counties.
So far, CBS 2 is told they're handling it and have not seen the need for the state Department of Homeland Security to step in with emergency services.
NIPSCO is committing additional crews to getting the power back on. They've restored 41,000 customers here, but 22,000 are still without power, mostly in Lake County.
(CBS 2 and the Post-Tribune are news partners covering stories in the communities of northwest Indiana. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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