Hurricane Ike’s fury reached from Texas to Ripley County Sunday, causing one fatality.

“It was a sad circumstance,” reported Indiana Conservation Officer Steve Miller, based in Brookville. During a family reunion at Versailles State Park’s Oak Grove shelterhouse, a grandfather, Gerald Reynolds, 61, Crothersville, went to a nearby playground at about 1:12 p.m. with his 9-year-old granddaughter. “A big gust of wind came through and blew a tree over on top of him, causing severe blunt trauma to his head,” Miller reported. The granddaughter was uninjured. Reynolds was transported by Rescue 69 to Margaret Mary Community Hospital, where he died.

Despite the high winds, there were no serious injuries due to vehicle crashes, reported Sgt. Noel Houze, Indiana State Police Versailles District public information officer. A semi overturned by the westbound I-74 rest park east of Batesville at 2:45 p.m. The driver had minor injuries and was taken to MMCH.

At 2:32 p.m. at Sav-On Tobacco, a man was cut when glass broke, and Batesville head dispatcher Connie Schutte was notified.

While there were few personal injuries as a result of the steady gusts, many reports of property damage were received. “The Ripley County Red Cross has assisted one family with shelter at the Hampton Inn in Batesville after being contacted by the Morris (Volunteer) Fire Department. The couple’s roof blew off their trailer in Morris,” said Sandy Vanderbur, Ripley County Red Cross director.

“The reports I have received are of major tree damage with many, many trees down in the county, trees down on minimal homes, roofs blown off of homes and many barns damaged,” she added.

The excitement began at Batesville’s dispatch center at 4:02 a.m. Sunday when the National Weather Service issued a high wind advisory from noon to 9 p.m. to the Batesville Police Department. Initially, that meant winds would be around 40 to 50 miles per hour. Later the watch was upgraded to a weather warning with winds approaching 60 to 70 mph, according to Schutte.

“This is the worst I’ve ever seen wind in my whole life,” she said Monday morning. With the dire weather came the most calls and radio traffic to Batesville dispatch in the 19 years she has worked there.

Wind damage began at 11:40 a.m. when Becky Schutte called to say a tree was across Delaware Road south of County Road 1400 North. At 12:52 p.m. a personal injury accident occurred at Hamburg and Ferkinhoff roads in Franklin County. At 12:58 p.m. an electrical transformer blew on Tekulve Road near Classic Pizza, Adam Sams told the police dispatcher.

A tree limb fell on a van at 1:03 p.m., Mary Wernke said. Six minutes later, an evergreen clobbered a house at 351 S. Park Ave., according to Chuck Peters. A tree was blocking the road near 857 Mulberry St. at 1:25 p.m.

Four 911 calls bombarded the police department at around 1:30 p.m., then steady reports of damage continued for the next four hours. A transformer was on fire at 921 N. Delaware Road, Jim Dickey said. Lines were down in a yard at 708 Legion Ave. Trees were leaning on wires near Brum Woods at the State Road 229 curve, 117 Woodlawn Ave., 557 Pohlman Ave. and at the intersection of State Road 129 and County Road 1150 North.

All 22 Batesville firefighters were out from 1 until 7 p.m., said Fire Chief Todd Schutte. “We were just going around ... any trees that were in the roadways we helped get that moved. The street department was so swamped we were lending a hand helping those guys out.” When they came upon trees laying on buildings, “there was just nothing we could do. The wind was just so bad.” He recalled, “We had to block some streets off for awhile,” including Mulberry, Huntersville and County Road 1400.

During the height of the gale, “I was just amazed at all the people out in the streets, driving, walking. There were people everywhere, just looking, basically putting themselves in harm’s way for no reason,” the chief observed.

Mayor Rick Fledderman stopped by the police station at 1:35 p.m., ordering that Liberty Park be closed. People there “didn’t want to leave,” the dispatcher said. Police officers and firefighters went to the park to send them home.

Power lines were on fire at 1:50 p.m. A railroad crossing arm broke off at the tracks at state roads 129 and 46 at 2:13 p.m. Seven minutes later, McDonald’s yellow sign parts were “flying up 229,” the dispatch log stated. A stop sign blew into a yard in the Western/Liberty neighborhood.