HENRYVILLE, Ind. — With some help from a passenger, Shan Singh finished loading his SUV Saturday afternoon with what he could salvage from Henryville’s demolished Marathon gas station and convenience store, packed into trash bags.

“I was holding the door, pushing on it,” he demonstrated, putting his hands up in front of him, higher than his head – referring to Friday evening, when a tornado ripped through the small southern Indiana town and knocked down his little store and gas pumps. Singh’s arms and face were covered in many small, scabbed cuts.

Singh, who said he owned the business, described being pushed back about six feet into the store by winds and being knocked out. Shortly after he came to, he noticed hail – ice that he described with hand gestures as being roughly brick-sized.

The Marathon was right off Interstate 65 to the east, on the left side of Highway 160. A competing store/station just across the road appeared largely untouched. The view to the east Saturday afternoon from 65 was a jumble of trees sheared of upper branches, tractor-trailers and buses knocked on their sides and building materials, walls and roofs tossed into trees and against other buildings.

Local and neighboring law enforcement agencies had officers directing vehicles off the interstate, as stop signs had been knocked down. Just at the top of the off-ramp, next to a sheriff’s emergency response trailer, was a growing pile of cases of bottled water, food, blankets and other donated supplies.

Stanley Dunson unloaded 10 cases of bottled water from his truck. “I’m in Indianapolis,” he explained – about 90 miles north of Henryville – adding he’d been watching the devastation on the news and felt moved to do something to help.

This devastation included high winds, heavy rain, large hail and tornadoes that pummeled several Midwest and Southern states on Feb. 28-29 and March 2. Various news outlets reported 13 people had died in storms earlier last week, but reports varied among them as of Sunday on the number of deaths from Friday’s second wave of storms, from 31 to 39 across five states, most heavily in Indiana and Kentucky.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security is asking residents who sustained damage caused by severe weather that began March 1 to report it online by visiting www.in.gov/dhs and clicking on “Citizen Damage Reports for March Severe Weather” in the middle of the page under “Topics of the Day.”

“Individuals with damage from the severe weather must report quickly,” said Executive Director Joe Wainscott. “The faster we can assess the situation, the better.”

Losses can include structural damage to homes and loss of personal property. This is not an application for a grant with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but information will help the state determine if federal assistance can be pursued.

The state advises those without Internet access to contact a friend, family member or neighbor for assistance in making a report, or use computers available at libraries, religious institutions, community centers and other public facilities.

In addition, Gov. Mitch Daniels declared a disaster emergency in 11 southern Indiana counties. Executive Order 12-01 includes Clark, Gibson, Harrison, Jefferson, Posey, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Washington counties.

He also issued Executive Order 12-02 giving a waiver of hours of service regulations relating to motor carriers and drivers transporting utility poles.

FEMA issued a statement Saturday that regional administrators have been in touch with state emergency management officials for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.

At the request of states, FEMA stated it and the Small Business Administration deployed teams to Missouri and Illinois to assist with preliminary damage assessments. FEMA also deployed a federal coordinating officer to Indiana, who is serving as a liaison to the Indiana Emergency Operations Center to provide support and assist in coordination efforts. An Incident Management Assistance Team and 11 community relations teams were also deployed to Indiana to assist with situational awareness following the storms in support of the state and governor, as requested.

Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich and state officials toured tornado-ravaged areas in southwest Ohio’s Clermont County on Saturday, March 3, where local and state officials continue recovery efforts. Three people in Clermont County died as a result of Friday’s severe weather and tornado outbreak.

The Governor declared a State of Emergency for Clermont County after seeing the storm destruction. The declaration allows additional state resources to assist with debris and recovery issues.

Counties impacted by yesterday’s storms include: Adams, Athens, Brown, Clermont, Gallia, Pike and Scioto. The National Weather Service continues to survey impacted areas to confirm the intensity of the severe storms.

In Illinois, the state’s Emergency Management Agency has posted information on assistance and donations to the website http://ready.illinois.gov

FEMA advises those wanting to help to visit www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/ howtohelp.shtm online to learn about agencies providing relief to victims of the storms, and to learn about what is actually needed before offering non-monetary donations of time or supplies. The American Red Cross is also managing response efforts; contact your local office or go online to www.redcross.org