20 Dead From Tornado-Related Incidents in Three States
- Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:15pm by
Mytheos Holt
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HENRYVILLE, Ind. (The Blaze/AP) — Powerful storms leveled small towns in southern Indiana, transforming entire blocks of homes into piles of debris, tossing school buses into a home and a restaurant and causing destruction so severe it was difficult to tell what was once there. As night fell, dazed residents shuffled through town, some looking for relatives, while rescue workers searched the rubble for survivors. Without power, the only light in town came from cars that crawled down the streets.
From the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, the storms touched nearly all walks of life. A fire station was flattened. Roofs were ripped off schools. A prison fence was knocked down and scores of homes and businesses were destroyed. At least 20 people were killed, including 14 in Indiana, and dozens of others were hurt in the second deadly tornado outbreak this week.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were missing.
The threat of tornadoes was expected to last until late Friday for parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Ohio. Forecasters at the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said the massive band of storms put 10 million people at high risk of dangerous weather.
“We knew this was coming. We were watching the weather like everyone else,” said Clark County, Ind., Sheriff Danny Rodden. “This was the worst case scenario. There’s no way you can prepare for something like this.”
In Henryville, the scene was eerie and somewhat chaotic. Cell phones and landlines were not working. Hundreds of firefighters and police zipped around town. Power lines were down and cars were flipped over. People walked down the street with shopping carts full of water and food, handing it out to whoever was in need.
Terry Brishaber said his uncle’s mobile home was gone.
“I don’t see any remnants. I don‘t know where it’s at,” he said.
Aerial footage from a TV news helicopter flying over Henryville showed numerous wrecked houses, some with their roofs torn off and many surrounded by debris. The video shot by WLKY in Louisville, Ky., also showed a mangled school bus protruding from the side of a one-story building and dozens of overturned semis strewn around the smashed remains of a truck stop.
“I’m a storm chaser,” said Susie Renner, of Henryville, “and I have never been this frightened before.”
Andy Bell was guarding a demolished garage until his friend could get to the business to retrieve some valuable tools Friday night. He looked around at the devastation, pointing to empty lots between a Catholic church and a Marathon station about a block away.
“There were houses from the Catholic church on the corner all the way to the Marathon station. And now it’s just a pile of rubble, all the way up,” he said. “It’s just a great …”
His voice trailed off, before he finished: “Wood sticks all the way up.”
An Associated Press reporter in Henryville said the high school was destroyed and the second floor had been ripped off the middle school next door. Authorities said school was in session when the tornado hit, but there were only minor injuries there.
Classroom chairs were scattered on the ground outside, trees were uprooted and cars had huge dents from baseball-sized hail.
Ruth Simpson, of nearby Salem, came to the demolished town right after the storm hit, looking for relatives that she hadn’t been able to find.
“I can’t find them,” she said, starting to cry, and then walked away.
The rural town about 20 miles north of Louisville is the home of Indiana’s oldest state forest and the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Col. Harland Sanders.
Ernie Hall, 68, weathered the tornado inside his tiny home near the high school. Hall says he saw the twister coming down the road toward his house, whipping up debris in its path.
He and his wife ran into an interior room and used a mattress to block the door as the tornado struck. It destroyed his car and blew out the picture window overlooking his porch.
“I knew there was some bad weather out in the Midwest that was coming this way, but you don’t count on a tornado hitting here that bad,” he said.
Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center said the spate of storms was unusual.
“Maybe five times a year we issue what is kind of the highest risk level for us at the Storm Prediction Center,” forecaster Corey Mead said. “This is one of those days.”
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport was closed temporarily because of debris on the runways, but one of three runways had reopened by late afternoon. A fire station was flattened and several barns were toppled in northern Kentucky across the Ohio River from the badly damaged Indiana towns.
Terry Sebastian, a spokesman for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, said five people were killed in two counties Friday. One person also died in Ohio. Emergency officials in Lee County, Va., said crews were searching for a man and woman after a tornado reportedly destroyed a home there.
The outbreak was also causing problems in Alabama and Tennessee where dozens of houses were damaged. It comes two days after an earlier round of storms killed 13 people in the Midwest and South.
At least 20 homes were ripped off their foundation and eight people were injured in the Chattanooga, Tenn., area after strong winds and hail lashed the area. To the east in Cleveland, Blaine Lawson and his wife Billie were watching the weather when the power went out. Just as they began to seek shelter, strong winds ripped the roof off their home. Neither was hurt.
“It just hit all at once,” said Blaine Lawson, 76. “Didn’t have no warning really. The roof, insulation and everything started coming down on us. It just happened so fast that I didn’t know what to do. I was going to head to the closet but there was just no way. It just got us.”
Thousands of schoolchildren in several states were sent home as a precaution, and other schools never opened. The Huntsville, Ala., mayor said students had to take cover as severe weather passed in the morning.
“Most of the children were in schools so they were in the hallways so it worked out very well,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.
An apparent tornado also damaged a state maximum security prison about 10 miles from Huntsville, but none of the facility’s approximately 2,100 inmates escaped. Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Brian Corbett said there were no reports of injuries, but the roof was damaged on two large prison dormitories that each hold about 250 men. Part of the perimeter fence was knocked down, but the prison was secure.
For residents and emergency officials across the state, tornado precautions and cleanup are part of a sadly familiar routine. A tornado outbreak last April killed about 250 people around the state, with the worst damage in Tuscaloosa.
In one subdivision in in Athens, Ala., damage was visible on 10 homes. Bill Adams watched as two men ripped shingles off the roof of a house he rents out, and he fretted about predictions that more storms would pass through.
“Hopefully they can at least get a tarp on it before it starts again,” he said.
Not far away, the damage was much worse for retired high school band director Stanley Nelson. Winds peeled off his garage door and about a third of his roof, making rafters and boxes in his attic visible from the street.
“It’s like it just exploded,” he said.
Video of one of the sites where two people were killed in Indiana can be found here:
Also, check out this picture of the wreckage of Henryville High School after the tornadoes:
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TomFerrari
Posted on March 3, 2012 at 6:08amDeath toll at 28 this morning.
Dozens of people are missing.
Death toll expected to be considerably higher later today.
We had tornadoes through here twice over a 72 hr period.
This likely saved many lives because people were already mentally alert and prepared.
PREPAREDNESS IS KEY !!!
Report Post »And PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL.
AxelPhantom
Posted on March 3, 2012 at 1:01pmPrayers will continue for all Tom. Glad to know you and yours are safe. I grew up in the midwest and was in a tornado as a child. It is like being in a war zone when you can’t recognize your own neighborhood. One minute it is there the next gone. I feel for all who were affected.
Report Post »DividedWeFail
Posted on March 3, 2012 at 1:02amHAARP
High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program
It is a military device in Alaska that can mess with the weather and cause earthquakes.
Watch this video
Ventura did an hour long show last year on this.
FASCINATING!!!!!!
Conspiracy Theory W/ Jesse Ventura: HAARP
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDfwHU7Cw6g
DividedWeFail
Posted on March 3, 2012 at 12:57amWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Look at the photos of the destruction here. Glad at least one puppy was found (out of two) and later at another home, an elderly man found his dog, Coco. It didn’t say if there were people found alive under the rubbish but hopefully no one else will be found dead.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109540/Tornado-wipes-Marysville-Indiana-map.html
Report Post »jimbob94
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 11:13pmThese poor people, I will be praying for them.
I live in Indiana but all we got today was wind and a few sprinkles. The storms went on both sides of us.
Report Post »Simia
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 10:02pmI live 15 miles south. Can’t believe a storm like this hit!! Praying for a little girl who was found in a pasture. I believe that her parents and a sibling are gone. She is fighting for her life tonight, please keep her and the families of lost loved ones in your prayers. Most of the people lost were young children and their mothers, a very sad day…
Report Post »cookr
Posted on March 3, 2012 at 12:34amThey found her family. She is in serious condition
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:10pmI was visiting family in Kentucky this week.
Report Post »I’ll be back in Southlake, TX in the next 48 hrs.
The family is all fine. It was certainly worrisome today. I have personally confirmed all the neighbors are okay as we’ll. Thank God, and thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and concern.
Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:57pmOh wow. Three years ago, I interviewed for a job at the Henryville High School. Back then, they were in the middle a huge expansion project. Lots of new classroom and lab spaces… Guess that’s all for naught now.
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:48pmWhere I am in Indiana, the worst we got was a couple of spates of hail.
Report Post »mmotherof2
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:12pm9 dead in Indiana – so sad here…..In northern part of state we are still experience hefty winds causing power lines to fall and small structure damage. It has been a crazy day- Prayers for many and hopefully these storms die out
Report Post »boundforglory
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:49pmFox news just said that there have been 67 tornados so far today between the midwest and southeast. I pray that God will give comfort to those who have lost homes, freinds, and family. The tornado season hasnt really started yet, it begins about the middle of this month. There were a couple of them in January, a couple in Febuary and its only gonna get worse! This country needs to come back to God before its to late. With this country turning its back on God more than ever and slamming Israel, things are about to get alot worse. God has been giving this nation enough warnings but people still refuse Him. Seek out God, accept Jesus, quit slamming Israel and things will change for the better! Here in the pacific northwest, we have had some of the worst winds that I have ever seen here, they have been blowing day and night for days. Please, Please, seek out God before its to late.
Report Post »IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:59pmMy thoughts and prayers are with all those people who lost loved ones and for the injured. So much property damage too but I know people will stand together and help one another. That is the way we are in America when there is disasters. God be with them.
Report Post »FreeUsAll
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:31pmNo word from Tom. Tom, I hope you and your family are okay. Please get back to us when you get the chance. Your silence is scaring me. I hope you are somewhere safe and maybe just lost power/connection. Please, get back to us and give us an update! Stay safe!
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:48pmAll safe. Thank you!!
Report Post »barfield2256
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:26pmWhat the hell is a “TORNADO-RELATED INCIDENT”? Do you mean “3 dead from a tornado”?
…if so, just say that.
As if that’s not a bad enough, earlier today, I heard the words: “A Tornadic event”.
Can I buy tickets to that? (Credit: George Carlin – devil rest his soul)
Humans always sound STUPID when they try to sound more important than they really are.
Focus on giving the story – not trying to ‘wax Cronkite’.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:01pmActually, there ate many incidents RELATED to tornadoes, but not actually tornadoes.
Report Post »Downed power lines that electrocute people an hour later. High winds in tornadic weather but where no actual tornado was observed. Etc.
They’re not trying to be elitist intellectuals. There actually is a difference.
FreeUsAll
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:24pmTom, get to shelter, please. As for those other fellow Hoosiers who lost their lives, you have my condolences. Stay safe, my friends!
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 9:04pmThanks. We ate all fine. We are in KY though. Much damage throughout Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, etc. confirmed deaths in at least KY and IN.
Report Post »hatchetjob
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:21pmIsn’t it a bit early in the year for these storms? There sure are a lot of them too. God be with these people.
Report Post »lambchop60
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:54pmone little town in southern ind. is completely gone Maryville, we’re under a warning in central ky right now. wonder if someone can explain this . i alway thought fema was alway the one that showed up after a disaster, why is homeland securty the first on the scene.
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:54pmI’ve heard it is now up to six people have lost their life due to tornadoes today. May they rest in peace.
We had snow last night and today, but it wasn’t much. We had high winds the last couple of days, so the weather the south and northeast are experience is most likely the result of what we just had.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:49pmMay God be with all. Amen.
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:45pmNo worries FEMA is on the way with government regulations on rebuilding, rat infested trailers and debit cards the “victims” can use in strip clubs. Yes…it’s your money but shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh dont wake up the sheeple.
I was in a devistating tornado in 1979. No federal agency helped me, just neighbor helping neighbor. FEMA sucks!
Report Post »Simia
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 10:05pmNot if my two hands can help it
Report Post »sallyredneck
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 6:46pmThis is a very tragic time in the world. People will have to help themselves and there neighbors. The concern of the Health Dept (Sebelius) is how many less people will be covered by Obamacare. May the lord bless your families.
Report Post »AxelPhantom
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:26pmPrayers.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:38pmThanks!
Report Post »Henryville, IN is reported to be GONE.
Tornado spotted here in Berea, KY.
We are sheltered. No loss of any services or utilities as of yet.
North and west look bad.
South looks clear.
Keep lifting up the prayers.
We should be okay here, but are taking precautionary cover.
AxelPhantom
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 5:43pmTom, stay safe. Best to all of you!
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:00pmConfirmed tornado on the ground in West Liberty, KY.
Report Post »(per Ky State Police) 5:55pm EST
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:01pmAlso confirmed in Licking River, KY.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:05pmFunnel cloud just sighted on North side of Berea, KY, along w/ golf all size hail.
Report Post »6:04PM EST.
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:18pmGolfball sized hail now. 6:18PM EST
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:19pmSatellite tv is out. 6:19PM EST
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:34pmHail and cloud pics tweeted.
Report Post »https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/tomferrari/status/175723723368833025?photo=1
http://twitter.com/tomferrari/status/175725611648692224/photo/1
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:45pmLarge tornado reported currently in the ground in Campton, KY. Headed east.
Report Post »6:45 PM ET
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 6:49pmHail is back. 6:48 PM ET.
Report Post »(Berea, KY)
P8riot
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:02pmstay safe brother!
Report Post »Polarized America
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:07pmI lived in Berea, KY one time , very nice area ….good luck and stay safe
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:14pmLondon, KY tornado sighted 7:10PM ET.
Report Post »Pittsburg, KY in the projected path.
WX improving here in Berea, KY 7:13pm ET.
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:20pm@Rock castle / laurel county line as storm crossed over I-75.
Natl WX Svc confirmed tornado.
7:10PM ET.
Bernstadt, KY tornado touched down 7:14PM ET.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:23pmTractor trailer blown off highway in Laurel Co., KY.
Report Post »7:21PM ET
Rescue squad unit flipped over during rescue in Sawyersville, KY 7:21PM ET.
Paintsville, KY confirmed tornado with damage. Roof ripped off if auto parts store.
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:26pmEast Bernstadt putting out call for Emergency Svcs, fire equipment, personnel, EMTs.
Report Post »They are over capacity and need help.
7:26PM ET
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:46pmWest Liberty, KY reported casualties.
Report Post »Direct hit downtown WLiberty.
7:38PM ET
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:46pmGovernors office has released a press memo. 7:20PM ET.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:55pmLooks like the line if storms and tornadoes has passed through here in Berea, KY.
Thank you all for prayers and thoughts.
Please continue to pray, as the storms are still continuing, but east of here.
I have family in Hazard, KY, which is currently surrounded on 3 sides by approaching storms that have been spawning tornadoes.
—
Confirmed tornado between Paintsville, and Inez, KY. 7:52PM ET.
Report Post »—
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 7:59pm61 reports of tornadoes in KY as of now.
Report Post »7:58PM ET. Per ABC 36 news.
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:03pmStrong probability of imminent tornado near Jellico Mountain, at the KY / TN border.
Report Post »8:03PM ET.
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:08pmStorms diminishing quickly now!!!
Thank the Lord!
Storms are now moving into West Virginia.
Report Post »Only 1 or 2 tornado warnings remain in effect in KY at this time.
8:08PM ET
TomFerrari
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 8:47pmI’m sounding all clear for my house.
Report Post »Headed to bed after checking for damage outside.
Thank you all, and most of all, I thank Heavenly Father my family is safe.
Pray for the injured, deceased, and those who lost homes, businesses, and jobs.