1986 Flashback: Communication Company Featured in Storm Coverage

South Bend Tribune Headline: July 26, 1986

Storm causes power outages, house fires, floods

A Friday afternoon downpour dumped nearly two inches of rain on Michiana, flooding streets and intersections, and knocking out electric power in several northern Indiana communities.

Lightning was blamed for two house fires in the South Bend area.

A building under construction south of South Bend collapsed when hit by gusting winds.

The rainfall total between 2 and 4 p.m. was 0.9 of an inch at Michiana Regional Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

The wind at the airport was clocked at 12 miles per hour. But other areas of St. Joseph County, including Warren and Centre townships, reportedly were hit by heavier winds and scattered hail.

Civil Defense officials estimated the wind south of South Bend was between 30 and 40 mph.

The weather service reported a total of 1.5 inches of rain fall Friday. The dau’s rainfall boosted the 1986 precipitation total to 21.81 inches, .53 of an inch above normal.

Southern St. Joseph County, Elkhart , Goshen, and Osceola appeared to have received the brunt of the storm. Trees and limbs were reported down in those areas. At 3:50 p.m. Elkhart reported pea-sized hail.

However, north of the Michigan state line only scattered showers and moderate winds were reported Friday afternoon.

According to Dinald Germann. St. Joseph County Civil Defense director, there were only scattered reports of flooding in the South Bend and Mishawaka areas.

Germann said his office received reports of five trees blown down.

A spokesperson for Indiana & Michigan Electric Co. said there were scattered outages in the county. Most of the outages were reported in Osceola. Gilmer Park, Kensington Farms and Park Jefferson.

Approximately 1,500 customers were without electric service in Osceola. The I&M spokesperson estimated 3,000 customers were in the dark in the early afternoon. By 8 p.m. electric service for the most of the customers was reported restored.

The I&M spokesman said that the remaining outages were south of Dragoon Trail and east of Bremen Highway, where about 200 customers were affected. He said I&M had five transformers hit by lightning. He estimated that electricity would be restored to the area by morning.

Indiana Bell did not report any outages in the area.

Widespread power outages were reported throughout Elkhart County late Friday afternoon, according to police and the Northern Indiana Public Service Co.

Outages were reported to be caised from falling tree limbs. No serious damage to equipment was reported.

In Plymouth, lightning knocked out three electrical transformers outside Metalcast Systems Inc., 1500 Pidco Drive, at 5:05 p.m. Plymouth firefighters and the rain quickly extinguished the fire, but smoke filled the building. No injuries were reported.

Lightning also knocked out traffic lights on U.S. 30 at Warsaw. Police there report

SEE WEATHER/Page A13

Winds level new building

High winds Friday afternoon caused the collapse of a building under construction on U.S. 31 South, just south of South Bend.

According to Tibor Folding, co-owner of Communications Company of South Bend Inc., a two-story, 10,000 square-foot office complex and warehouse was under construction on a 1.5-acre site immediately north of Galloway’s Body Shop, 60251 U.S. 31 South. Officials said high winds caught the roof about 2:45 p.m. Friday and caused the structure to collapse.

Lamar “Red” Locke, Centre Twp. fire chief, said three crew members form Dev-Com Construction Co. of Granger had stopped work on the building 15 to 30 minutes before the collapse.

No one was injured in the incident, he said. Initially, rescue workers believed that construction workers were trapped inside the building, officials said.

Deanna Gallaway, of the nearby body shop, said she saw high winds tear plywood from the roof prior to the building’s collapse. She said she called the fire department officials and originally thought workers were underneath the debris.

Locke, however, said all construction workers were accounted for after the incident.

Folding said he and Vern McClain are co-owners of the business, which is located at 2408 Prairie Ave. He said groundbreaking ceremonies for the new office-warehouse were conducted May 8 and the building was supposed to be done in late September.

Folding said about $100,000 in construction costs were already spent on the building. He said while insurance will cover the loss, building construction will have to begin again at the foundation.