NW Indiana storms: Woman killed by roofing material in Gary; woman killed in Portage explosion ID'd

PORTAGE, Ind. (WLS) -- Northwest Indiana communities continued recovery efforts Wednesday after severe storms caused widespread damage, prolonged power outages and disruptions to daily life, including delays to the start of school in some districts.

Meanwhile, officials provided information on at least two storm-related deaths on Wednesday.

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The National Weather Service confirmed that at least two tornadoes entered Lake County, Indiana in the Munster and St. John areas.

A deadly house explosion is now being linked to the extreme weather in Portage, Indiana.

Family members say 86-year-old Leona Rice died in the explosion. Now, they are left looking for keepsakes in the ruins on Harrison Avenue.

The Portage Fire Department responded to the home and found it flattened. According to authorities, the victim's son, who is also a firefighter, heard the call for help and arrived as first responders found his mother.

Neighbor Bryan Parker said the woman's husband was at a doctor's appointment when the explosion occurred.

"She was a nice person. She loved her dog a little bit too much. The dog was way overweight; that was a joke around the neighborhood, and they were friendly and well-kept people, no problems at all with them," neighbor Bryan Parker said.

Neighbor George Rivas says many people ran to try to help, but there was nothing they could do.

"A lot of people were running to the end of the block to try to pull her out, but the flames were just too hot. No one could get in," Rivas said.

City leaders issued an emergency declaration as cleanup continues and as authorities investigate what sparked the deadly house explosion.

Also on Wednesday, officials said another woman died Tuesday during the storms in Gary, Indiana.

The Lake County Coroner's Office said 58-year-old Paula Plebanski, a woman who was experiencing homelessness, died after being struck by roofing material from a store around 12:21 p.m. at a parking lot in the 5200 block of East Dunes Highway.

Her cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, officials said.

No further information about the storm-related death was available.

In Munster, homeowner Ashley Clark is facing major repairs after a tree crashed into her home. Clark said she was at work when conditions rapidly worsened and was on the phone with her son, urging him to get to the basement moments before the tree struck the home.

"Within probably 30 seconds of him running downstairs, there is a huge thud. It sounds like a bomb went off," Clark said. "And my son says the tree is in the dining room."

Clark said the tree caused substantial damage.

"Not only did it crush through, my wall is leaning into the house. Also, big branches came and stabbed in other parts of the roof like javelins," she said.

As she drove home, she said the scope of the damage became clear.

"I see downed trees, power lines. I see people out their front yards crying," Clark said.

She said neighbors throughout her block immediately began helping one another.

"I have like the best neighbors in the whole world," Clark said. "Everybody was climbing up there and trying to clear off as much as possible because we knew more storms were coming."

While some residents are dealing with significant structural damage, others are struggling through extended power outages and disruptions to daily routines.

Portage resident Kaylee Jank said the outage has affected nearly every aspect of daily life.

"It's devastating and it's scary. We can't go to work, can't get gas, can't go to the grocery store," Jank said.

Jank said her grandfather uses a heart-monitoring device and her family planned to bring him to the Bonner Senior and Community Center in Portage for assistance.

"It's really sad. It's scary," Jank said. "People are fighting over ice and electricity."

In Portage, community organizations have stepped in to help residents.

American Legion Post 260 transformed food that would have spoiled because of power outages into free meals for the public.

"We decided last night that we were going to put all the food that we were going to lose in our coolers to good use for the community," Commander John Keyl said. "So we decided, why not just throw a barbecue for everybody and just cook up everything we had and have everybody come out and get some food?"

Keyl said the storm was unlike anything he has experienced in decades living in the area.

"I've lived here for 30 plus years. I've never seen a storm like this. Ever. Ever," he said. "It's bad. It's really bad. It's like a war zone around here."

The need for assistance was evident, he said.

"Some people came here today that they haven't eaten since Monday evening," Keyl said.

"This is the moment when it doesn't matter who you are, what color you are, what sex you are. This is when the community comes together and this is what people need to see each and every day," said Josilyn York, first vice commander.

At the Bonner Senior Center, Portage Township Trustee Brendan Clancy said the facility remains open to residents who need a place to rest, cool off or charge devices.

"We're going to be open here to make sure that people can come in, plug in their medical machinery if they need that, breathing machines," Clancy said. "We have cots from Porter County Emergency Management."

Clancy said residents, organizations and volunteers have all stepped up during the recovery effort.

"People have showed up all day bringing water, bringing Gatorade, saying what can we do?" Clancy said. "People out cutting trees out of the streets, neighbors clearing the way. It says a lot about a community."

He said the response reflects what makes Portage unique.

"I look at it more not as a disaster, but as an opportunity for our community to shine," Clancy said. "I think it really just shows who you are and what you are as a community and I think it's a perfect reflection of that."

The storm's impact is also affecting families preparing to return to school.

The School Town of Munster announced the first day of school for K-12 students has been postponed until at least Monday, Aug. 17. District officials said all school buildings are without power, all school activities are canceled until further notice and families should not come to school buildings at this time.

Portage Township Schools announced all schools except Portage High School remain without power. District officials reported uprooted trees, roof damage, unsafe conditions and food loss because of outages. The district said schools will remain closed Thursday and Friday and will provide another update later this week regarding next week's schedule.

Additional assistance is also becoming available across the region.

Strack & Van Til and parent company Hy-Vee announced they will provide free hot dogs, chips, apples, water and ice from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at six Northwest Indiana locations:
-Cedar Lake Strack & Van Til, 9605 Lincoln Plaza
-Hammond Strack & Van Til, 2635 169th St.
-Highland Strack & Van Til, 9632 N. Cline Ave.
-Portage Strack & Van Til, 6046 Central Ave.
-St. John Strack & Van Til, 9825 Wicker Ave.
-Valparaiso North Strack & Van Til, 2800 Calumet Ave.

As utility crews continue restoration efforts and residents begin filing insurance claims and repairing damaged homes, many say the recovery effort has become a community-wide undertaking.

For Clark, the uncertainty remains.

"I'm scared. I don't know what it's going to look like for the next few months or even longer," she said.

Still, she said Northwest Indiana is finding its way forward together.

"It's a community of communities," Clark said. "We're really tough. We're really strong."