Washington – At least three people have been killed by multiple tornadoes that destroyed several buildings in Missouri in the mid-west in the last hours, state governor Mike Person reported today.
“There has been great devastation in the state,” Person told a news conference.
“Last night we were very lucky because there were no more injured people than there were and because we did not have more deaths,” the governor said.
The tornadoes killed three people in Golden City, about 100 kilometers southwest of Jefferson City, the state capital, where there was extensive material damage.
In the course of 24 hours at least 29 tornadoes were reported mainly in Missouri and Oklahoma, while last Friday at least 171 have been registered.
Meteorologists warned that tornado conditions persist from Kansas City to Lubbock, in the state of Texas, and from Columbus in Ohio to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.
Authorities in Webber Falls, Oklahoma, ordered the mandatory evacuation of the population as a result of the overflow of the Arkansas River, described as “a life-threatening situation.”
After the tornado that hit Jefferson City, emergency services moved about 20 people to local hospitals, but none of them had serious injuries, officials said.
The largest impact in the capital of Missouri occurred in a southern area of the town of almost 5 square kilometers, where several buildings suffered damage, including several schools whose roof has been affected.
The Washington Post reported that the tornado in Jefferson City was “wedge”, that is that the whirlwind is wider than high and that it crossed the city at 40 miles per hour raising debris to almost 13,000 feet in height.
“We have everything from roof debris dumped in the streets, to trees plucked from trees, vehicles and damaged business rooftops,” said Lt. David Williams, a spokesman for the Jefferson City Police Department.
“Now we go door to door to make sure that all people are well,” he added. (EFEUSA)
