Fourth Day of Storms Ravages Central U.S.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An outbreak of nasty storms in the Midwest spawned tornadoes that razed homes, flattened trees and tossed cars across a dealership lot, injuring about two dozen people in Missouri's capital city and killing at least three others elsewhere in the state. The National Weather Service confirmed that a large and destructive twister moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight Wednesday. Officials said the tornado packed winds of up to 160 miles per hour (257.48 kilometers per hour) and cut a path about 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) long and a mile (1.6 kilometer) wide. Emergency workers reported about two dozen injuries but no fatalities in the city of about 40,000 people. For the fourth consecutive day, tornadoes strafed the middle of the country Thursday, this time concentrated in sparsely populated panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. The weather service received reports of more than a dozen tornadoes, along with numerous reports of large hail and torrential rain. Storms this week in the central U.S. have left at least seven people dead, including three near Golden City, Missouri. Kenneth Harris, 86, and his 83-year-old wife, Opal, were found dead about 200 yards (180 meters) from their home, and Betty Berg, 56, was killed and her husband, Mark, seriously injured when their mobile home was destroyed, authorities said. While forecasters said the threat of severe weather would ease Friday and into the weekend, another natural disaster could be imminent ...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Major Incidents News Source Type: news