Stay Safe - At least 29 dead as tornadoes hit central US

[sledgemeister]

Hope all you boys and gals on DRTV and your loved ones are safe and accounted for and those in the affected areas keep ya heads down and you asses covered!

take care folks!

http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/eight-dead-as-tornadoes-hit-central-us/story-e6frfkp9-1226288103564

AT least 29 people have been killed in the US in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio last night (today AEDT) as a cluster of powerful tornadoes and severe storms left a trail of destruction across America's heartland.

Late Yesterday (today AEDT), authorities had confirmed 13 deaths in Indiana, 14 in Kentucky and two in Ohio.

Reports surfaced early Saturday that West Liberty, Kentucky, - a small town of about 3000 people, 160km east of Lexington had been smashed to pieces by a powerful tornado.

Firefighters told WKYT-TV that three people were dead in the area, while Morgan County Deputy Sheriff Kenny Dulin told the Lexington Herald-Leader that dozens of people were thought to be missing.

Southern Indiana suffered some of the worst damage, with an entire town reportedly wiped off the map by tornadoes. Marysville - population 1900 - 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 800 metres wide.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security confirmed four deaths in Jefferson County in the southeastern corner of the state, north of Louisville, Kentucky, four deaths in Washington County, three deaths in Scott County and two deaths in Ripley County.

Several more deaths in southern Indiana were reported by various media outlets, but had not been confirmed by authorities.

Indiana Governor 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," Mr Daniels said.

Across the border in Kentucky, several funnel clouds swirled around Louisville, but the city was not directly impacted.

Governor Steve Beshear's office released a statement late yesterday (today AEDT), saying the Commonwealth Emergency Operations Center confirmed four fatalities in Menifee County and one fatality in Kenton County.

Kentucky authorities later told the Lexington Herald-Leader that two more deaths had been confirmed in Kenton County, four deaths had been recorded in Laurel County, while one person died in Morgan County.

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.

In Moscow, Ohio, on the bank of the Ohio River about 48km southeast of Cincinnati, a woman died when her home collapsed, authorities told the Enquirer, adding that many houses had been ripped from their foundations when a tornado touched down in the area.

Millions of people from Louisiana to Ohio faced an anxious evening with a severe weather warning extending through last 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.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/eight-dead-as-tornadoes-hit-central-us/story-e6frfkp9-1226288103564#ixzz1o3UMkr7z

[Timothy]

I spoke with my Navy brothers (or at least their wives) last night in Missouri!  They're safe for the moment,

Some pretty nasty stuff to deal with!

[Solus]

First time I've seen uninterrupted TV coverage of the weather serve a purpose.

Cincinnati is in the center of the area affected and I live 30 miles north of the city.

31 dead reported this morning with most in Ind. and Ky.   Only 3 in Ohio.

Two huge and dangerous tornadoes passed 20 miles south of Cincy and entered Ohio east of the city.

Reports say this two "Super Cells", which where only miles apart touched down around lunch time and the crossed the Ohio River into Ohio at 6:00 PM...after traveling on the ground for 100s of miles and maybe 5 hours.

Cincinnati was getting debris from the storms when they were 50 miles south and it continued till they passed east of the city.

The two tornadoes were so on the ground so long, and moving so consistently that the TV stations where displaying a list of the small towns in northern KY and given ETAs minutes apart for them.   One city would have a "hit" time of 4:23 the next to the NE would have 4:24, then 4:25 all the way into Ohio.  

Folks were told when to stop running for shelter and to hug the ground.  

The TV stations were receiving reports from the cities, my guess is from the highway patrol or other police units, and several times as the cities where  hit, the broadcast would cease...I'm guessing radio towers where blown down.

Winds outside the tornadoes were reported at 115 mph with 80-90 mph winds inside.

Stories came in of whole towns that just weren't there any more.  

Videos this morning shows a school bus that had been tossed into a house.

There was a Telethon running this morning asking for donations to help those hit.

Around 7:00 last night the storm activity that did all the damage in Ind. hit here, but it had weakened so we only got heavy rain and thunder storms.

It was reported that 89 tornadoes where spotted int he mid west yesterday...