It’s a nightmare every RV manufacturing executive would dread: a tornado passing over their factory. In 2023, 65 tornadoes touched down in “The Crossroads of America.”
Well, an additional tornado has now been added to the 2024 tally. Last Tuesday, July 16, a tornado did, indeed, touch down in the city dubbed the RV Capital of the World, where 80 percent of all RVs are made. But lucky for RV manufacturers, their factories were not in the path. Unfortunately, several schools were. The only damage they reported was broken sidewalks and lots of debris.
A state of emergency was declared in Elkhart County after the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that the tornado touched down on the south side of Elkhart early Tuesday morning. According to the NWS, the tornado touched down around 12:21 a.m. just west of US-33 between Lusher Avenue and Hively Avenue, resulting in several trees being snapped or uprooted.
The tornado was officially categorized as an EF-1. Officials say winds were 90 mph.
“I was told one story where a young teen wasn’t sleeping in his bed, he was sleeping on the couch,” said Elkhart Mayor Rod Robertson. “And the tree that went through his home went right through his bed. Had he been in his bed, we wouldn’t have been talking about no injuries or maybe even fatalities. That’s how close we came to this being a disaster of a different proportion.”
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Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 Have a great weekend, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I would like to see that video of the factory “dodging” that tornado…lol