Tornado destroys Indiana family farm; neighbors rally to help rebuild
Mar 18, 2025
Tornado destroys Indiana family farm
FRANCISCO, Ind. (WFIE) — It took Ron Miley and his family nearly five decades to build up their farm in Gibson County.
It only took a tornado a few moments to tear it all down.
Early reports show the tornado that ripped through the farm early Saturday
was an EF-2.
The family is working to rebuild, and they’re getting help from the community.
Ron Miley, owner of Miley Farms, said, “We heard a loud bang, and water started running down through the basement, and we knew we was in trouble.”
Hidden away in the basement with his wife and adult children, Miley had no idea what he’d find when the storm passed.
“By daylight, we realized we’d lost about everything we had.”
Grain bins filled with corn, the family’s livelihood, were ripped apart. Barns were torn to the ground. His family home of nearly 50 years is likely a total loss.
Miley said, “If we would have just lost the house, it would have been bad enough. If we’d just lost the bins, it would have been bad enough. If we’d just lost the barn, it would have been bad enough. At this point, we’ve lost everything we’ve got.”
Miley’s personal belongings that used to fill his home have been replaced by fallen insulation.
Miley said, “When we moved here it was a hay field. A lifetime of building an establishment, and now it’s gone.”
The goal is to build it back.
For three days after the storm, Miley has had an army of neighbors to help. “I seen people here Saturday I didn’t even know. That says a lot.”
Miley says roughly 100 people showed up from sunrise to sunset Saturday to to pick up the pieces, and they were back again the next day, and the next. “If you don’t believe in the community support, somebody needs to come out here and look at this.”
With that community help, the road to rebuilding Miley Farms looks a lot like it did back in 1977, from the ground up.
“Everybody says everything can be replaced, and it can be, but it’s going to take a while.”
Despite the damage, the family stayed safe. None of them were injured.
...read more read less
