Indiana storm damage: Homes hit, power lines down, 1 killed

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Strong winds blew down tall trees onto property, homes and cars in several neighborhoods in Valparaiso on Sunday with little-to-no warning.

Debris piled up on a lawn from one tree that was split into pieces.

Tree service crews continue working, sawing the tree into smaller pieces that now pile on the lawn and sidewalk.

It sliced a big chop into the roof of the house. The gutters are broken. This house appeared to be on the pathway of violent winds.

Tall trees are down in yards, on cars and houses and on electrical lines, cutting power to thousands of customers, who are now dealing with cold houses with no electricity, no TV and no way to charge phones.

One homeowner said he could see right out his window as the wind aimed at his house, toppling a 100-year-old tree onto his front door.

What they're saying:

John Jacobs said he was home when the storm tore through.

"All of the sudden, we were sitting there just watching and you can tell it’s heading our way. Because the tree started bending and I went to go grab my wife and I said, ‘We need to get to the basement.’ No sooner did it get out of my mouth, the tree was down in our living room. It felt like a train running through the house," Jacobs said.

Tree service companies are busy and so are the public works crews throughout northwest Indiana.

There was a fatality at Pratt Industries in Valparaiso. A 34-year-old truck driver from Ontario, Canada was killed when his truck flipped over during the severe weather.