NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Residents in Floyd County, Indiana, are picking up the pieces after three EF-1 tornadoes and an EF-0 touched down early Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service confirmed that the four tornadoes touched down Sunday around 9 a.m.

The fourth EF-0 was confirmed late Monday in the Brookstone Subdivision in Georgetown, Indiana. 

One of the hardest hit areas was along Grant Line Road, across from Indiana University Southeast. One of the buildings at the apartment complex there, Carriage House Apartments, had a roof ripped off, a tree fell into another building and shingles and smaller branches were strewn across the property.

On Sunday, WDRB News talked to Demarcus Mason, whose niece was inside at the time and lost the roof to her unit. 

"She lost everything, she's got to start from scratch," Mason said.

Carriage House Apartments storm damage.jpg

Damage caused to Carriage House Apartments in New Albany after tornadoes, severe weather passed through New Albany and Kentuckiana on May 7, 2023. (WDRB photo)

New Albany officials said a total of 10 people at the apartment were displaced, and there were some injuries, but none were life-threatening.

Behind the apartment complex, fences went down with more trees blown over.

Fence damaged in New Albany tornado

Pictured: this image dated May 8, 2023, shows a damaged fence near a New Albany home after 3 EF1 tornadoes touched down on May 7, 2023. (Monica Harkins via Twitter)

Mike Wild was taking a chainsaw to his debris Monday. He was also home at the time of the storm.

"Saw trees bending like I'd not seen them before, then wife went to the basement and the lights went out," he said. "This blew out of nowhere and was back in the clouds before you knew it."

Just a block away, Paul Parrish said he feels lucky to be alive since the storm hit while he was asleep on the third floor.

"If it had done to the Carriage House what it had to done [to] mine I wouldn't be here," Parrish said.

His luck continued. A tree fell towards the street and not onto his house.

The widespread damage has many in the area curious why there wasn't more of a warning.

WDRB Chief Meteorologist Marc Weinberg explained what happened.

"We have a mode on our radars referred to as sales mode," Weinberg said. "And what that does is that means we're gonna get scans more quickly. The reason that's important is because that can allow us to pick up these quick tornadoes better. Problem is, the Weather Service did not move us into sales mode until after the Georgetown and the northern New Albany tornado occurred." 

Some people might also be concerned why WDRB News didn't have a tornado warning either, but Weinberg explained those types of warnings have to be issued by the NWS.

"WDRB does not issue tornado warnings," Weinberg said. "Those come from the National Weather Service. They do acknowledge that there were some issues here. And what they're doing is a case study now and what occurred so that they can revise protocol, and we can account for these scenarios better."

Neighbors we spoke with say it will likely take more than a week to clean up the debris and remove the trees, and even longer to repair the damaged roofs and fences.

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