LEBANON — A tornado estimated to have winds up to 135 mph that mauled Lebanon Sunday afternoon caused an estimated $20 million in property damage.
“That’s our initial assessment,” Lebanon Fire Chief Jason Lee said. “Until we get with the insurance companies and see what their adjusters have come up with, we really won’t know an exact number.”
The estimate does not include damage from the EF-1 tornado that hit in rural Boone County at the same time.
About half of the damage from the Lebanon tornado is at the CNH Industrial Parts and Service building, 404 Enterprise Boulevard, which took a direct hit from the tornado, preliminarily rated as an EF-2 by the National Weather Service.
After touching down on an employee parking lot, the tornado “moved through the building from west to east,” said Andrea Gillespie, a spokeswoman for CNH Industrial.
“It knocked out power and utilities,” Gillespie said. “It ripped off large sections of the roof, and caused extensive structural and water damage to the facility.”
The company’s Lebanon operations, know as the North American master depot and the Centralized Receiving and Packaging Center, include the product support division for CNH Global NV, which makes agricultural and construction equipment. It serves 11 regional parts distribution centers. The company announced earlier this year it was spending $13 million to renovate and lease the building formerly occupied by American Air Filters, to serve as a special processing center, adding 100 jobs.
The master parts depot section sustained the most damage, she said.
About 700 people work at CNH Industrial, 500 of them full-time, Gillespie said.
“Right now the company is focused on making repairs, relocating operations and restoring the service to its dealers,” Gillespie said. “It’s also getting employees back to work as quickly as possible.”
Employees will be compensated for lost work days, Gillespie said. “The company intends to get most employees back to work in the next few weeks,” she said.
CNH Industrial employees with questions about returning to work or compensation should call 765-482-5250, ext. 211, Gillespie said.
The American Red Cross is helping CNH Industrial workers, she said.
At least $500,000 in damage was caused to the Skjodt-Barrett Foods, Inc, manufacturing facility at 401 Enterprise Boulevard. The company has transferred manufacturing to Mississauga, Ontario.
Skjodt-Barrett produces a variety of products, including sauces, marinades, icings, glazings, fruit jams, spreads, toppings and fillings, cereal and snack bars, and other products.
Only physical damage to structures was included in the estimate; it was not immediately known how much damage had been caused to vehicles.
The loss in profit to local businesses closed or affected by the storm, and in salary for their employees, is not included, nor is the amount of county option income tax that Boone County might lose as a result of the businesses being closed.
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