nappanee indiana

Nappanee is the center of one of the largest Amish settlements in the United States. Nearly 2,500 Old Order Amish live, work and interact with residents and visitors. In the hustle and bustle of the new millennium, the Amish connect with one another heart to heart in a way that is often foreign to the modern mindset. As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,710 people, 2,521 households, and 1,792 families residing in the city. The population density was 702.1/km2 (1,818.9/mi2). There were 2,647 housing units at an average density of 277.0/km2 (717.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.48% White, 0.28% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 2.52% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.98% of the population.

There were 2,521 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15.
NAPPANEE, Ind. ?A suspected tornado damaged several businesses and homes and knocked out power and water service to much of this northern Indiana city.


The Thursday night storm also sent five people to hospitals with what police said where minor injuries.
Nappanee officials declared a state of emergency, asking people in the city about 20 miles southeast of South Bend to stay indoors and all businesses were asked to stay closed today.

Downed power lines and debris from the storm, which hit about 10:30 p.m., prompted authorities to close parts of U.S. 6 and Indiana 19.

A National Weather Service survey team on Friday was checking for tornado damage along a storm field that stretches 15 miles from southwest of Nappanee to near Goshen.

� would say it was pretty likely there was a tornado in Nappanee,?said Michael Sabones, meteorologist-in-charge of the weather service� northern Indiana office in Syracuse.

Sabones said no other major storm damage was reported elsewhere in northern Indiana.

Hail hit counties in northern, central and southern Indiana. Officials in Pulaski County say golf-ball-sized hail damaged a car.

The same storm system caused scattered damage elsewhere in Indiana and tornadoes touched down in Kentucky and Michigan.

Trees and power lines were blown down from a storm cell that passed between Lafayette and Indianapolis, causing damage in the towns of Frankfort and Advance.

Several trees were toppled near the southern Indiana city of Bedford, police reported. Wind speeds reached 80 mph at the Ohio River town of New Amsterdam, according to the weather service. There were also reports of small hail accompanying the storms. Scattered thunderstorms brought hail and winds as high as 75 m.p.h. to parts of the Chicago area Thursday evening, delaying flights and knocking out power to at least 2,300 Commonwealth Edison customers on the South Side.

As the storms were winding down, an 11-year old boy was struck by lightning while riding his bike in the 6600 block of West Archer Avenue, authorities said.

The boy was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was reported in good condition, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.



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The fast-moving storms brought a short burst of quarter-size hail to parts of the city, sending people running for cover and setting off car alarms in downtown parking lots. Winds of up to 75 m.p.h. were recorded in Will County and at speeds of about 60 m.p.h. downtown.

The possibility of severe weather had prompted the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory, a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch across the Chicago area during the day. By late Thursday, most of the unstable weather had moved into Indiana.

The storms were scattered across the city, with most neighborhoods on the North Side not seeing any rain, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi. The hardest hit areas were along the Interstate Highway 55 corridor from Joliet to downtown Chicago.

ComEd officials said the storms knocked out power to at least 5,000 customers in the Chicago area, with up to 2,300 on the South Side at one point.

In northeast Indiana, authorities declared a state of emergency after an apparent tornado hit a northern Indiana city, the Associated Press reported.

Residents of Nappanee, about 20 miles southeast of South Bend, were being asked to stay indoors.

Police said several people were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries following the storm Thursday night as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through Indiana.

Nappanee Police Chief Mike Anglin said the entire city of about 6,700 was without power. Numerous gas leaks were reported.

The weather service also said there was a report late Thursday that a tornado may have touched down about 45 miles east of St. Louis.