Death toll rises as tornadoes rip through central and southern US
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ind. — At least 23 people were killed in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio Friday night as a cluster of powerful tornadoes and severe storms left a trail of destruction across America's heartland.
Late Friday, authorities had confirmed 12 deaths in Indiana, 10 deaths in Kentucky and one in Ohio.
There was similar scenes of severe damage in nearby Henryville, in Clark County, where a twister slammed into Henryville High School, leaving several people trapped. The school's roof was torn off, segments of wall were knocked down and windows blown out, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
One of the twisters spotted in the region was apparently about half a mile (800 meters) wide.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security confirmed three deaths in Jefferson County in the southeastern corner of the state, north of Louisville, Ky., and three more deaths in Scott County.
Noel Houze with the Indiana State Police told NewsCore there were two more fatalities in the town of Holton in neighboring Ripley County and two people were transported to area hospitals in serious condition.
Four more people -- two adults, a child and a baby -- were found dead in a structure in Washington County, Sheriff Claude Combs told The Louisville Courier-Journal late Friday.
Several more deaths in southern Indiana were reported by various media outlets, but had not been confirmed by authorities.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement that he would travel to affected areas on Saturday morning.
"Once again Mother Nature has dealt harshly with Indiana. Our every thought is with those we've lost and those who have suffered," Daniels said.
Across the border in Kentucky, several funnel clouds swirled around Louisville, but the city was not directly impacted.
Gov. Steve Beshear's office released a statement late Friday, saying the Commonwealth Emergency Operations Center confirmed four fatalities in Menifee County and one fatality in Kenton County.
Kentucky's Joint Information Center later told NBC News that two more deaths had been confirmed in Kenton County, while single deaths were also recorded in Morgan, Magoffin and Laurel counties.
In addition -- after earlier declaring a state of emergency -- Beshear said 50 Kentucky National Guard troops and a mobile Guard unit had been mobilized and sent to Morgan County to assist with storm recovery efforts.
Several tornadoes were also reported to have touched down in Ohio -- with a man in his 50s killed when the storm struck his mobile home on Ohio 133 in Bethel, Ohio, Clermont County spokeswoman Kathy Lehr told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Millions of people from Louisiana to Ohio faced an anxious evening with a severe weather warning extending through Friday night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), and tornado watches issued for 10 states.
FEMA offered condolences to those touched by the storm, and said in response "we have personnel assembled and on alert, should the affected states request additional assistance."
The NWS described the massive storm system as "a very moist and unstable environment" that could produce "a few strong, long-track tornadoes over central and southern Indiana, southern and western Ohio, much of Kentucky and northern Tennessee."
The latest round of severe weather comes just days after a massive storm system spawned dozens of tornadoes and left 13 people dead in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas.
Storm-weary residents across the region were just beginning to clean up and assess damage from this week's powerful storm system.
A 13th fatality from the earlier storms was confirmed late Thursday in the tiny town of Harveyville, Kan. Authorities said a 53-year-old man died from tornadoes that leveled half the town.
Five of those killed in the small southern Illinois city of Harrisburg had lived on the same street.
Late Friday, authorities had confirmed 12 deaths in Indiana, 10 deaths in Kentucky and one in Ohio.
Southern Indiana suffered some of the worst damage, with an entire town reportedly wiped off the map by tornadoes. Marysville -- population 1,900 -- was "completely gone," said Clark County Sheriff's Department Maj. Chuck Adams, according to WXIN-TV.
There was similar scenes of severe damage in nearby Henryville, in Clark County, where a twister slammed into Henryville High School, leaving several people trapped. The school's roof was torn off, segments of wall were knocked down and windows blown out, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
One of the twisters spotted in the region was apparently about half a mile (800 meters) wide.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security confirmed three deaths in Jefferson County in the southeastern corner of the state, north of Louisville, Ky., and three more deaths in Scott County.
Noel Houze with the Indiana State Police told NewsCore there were two more fatalities in the town of Holton in neighboring Ripley County and two people were transported to area hospitals in serious condition.
Four more people -- two adults, a child and a baby -- were found dead in a structure in Washington County, Sheriff Claude Combs told The Louisville Courier-Journal late Friday.
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Several more deaths in southern Indiana were reported by various media outlets, but had not been confirmed by authorities.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement that he would travel to affected areas on Saturday morning.
"Once again Mother Nature has dealt harshly with Indiana. Our every thought is with those we've lost and those who have suffered," Daniels said.
Across the border in Kentucky, several funnel clouds swirled around Louisville, but the city was not directly impacted.
Gov. Steve Beshear's office released a statement late Friday, saying the Commonwealth Emergency Operations Center confirmed four fatalities in Menifee County and one fatality in Kenton County.
Kentucky's Joint Information Center later told NBC News that two more deaths had been confirmed in Kenton County, while single deaths were also recorded in Morgan, Magoffin and Laurel counties.
In addition -- after earlier declaring a state of emergency -- Beshear said 50 Kentucky National Guard troops and a mobile Guard unit had been mobilized and sent to Morgan County to assist with storm recovery efforts.
Several tornadoes were also reported to have touched down in Ohio -- with a man in his 50s killed when the storm struck his mobile home on Ohio 133 in Bethel, Ohio, Clermont County spokeswoman Kathy Lehr told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Millions of people from Louisiana to Ohio faced an anxious evening with a severe weather warning extending through Friday night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), and tornado watches issued for 10 states.
FEMA offered condolences to those touched by the storm, and said in response "we have personnel assembled and on alert, should the affected states request additional assistance."
The NWS described the massive storm system as "a very moist and unstable environment" that could produce "a few strong, long-track tornadoes over central and southern Indiana, southern and western Ohio, much of Kentucky and northern Tennessee."
The latest round of severe weather comes just days after a massive storm system spawned dozens of tornadoes and left 13 people dead in Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas.
Storm-weary residents across the region were just beginning to clean up and assess damage from this week's powerful storm system.
A 13th fatality from the earlier storms was confirmed late Thursday in the tiny town of Harveyville, Kan. Authorities said a 53-year-old man died from tornadoes that leveled half the town.
Five of those killed in the small southern Illinois city of Harrisburg had lived on the same street.
source: http://www.nypost.com
