Monday, April 28, 2014

At Least 14 Dead as Tornadoes Rip Through Central, Southern US - ABC News




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A powerful storm system rumbled through the central and southern United States on Sunday, spawning several tornadoes that left communities devastated and at least 14 people dead.


At least 13 people have died in Arkansas – seven in Faulkner County, five in Pulaski County and one in White County, according to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. Deputy PIO Brandon Morris said one trail of storm destruction stretches 30 miles.


"Some homes have been completely destroyed, some have severe damage, we have power lines and trees down in those counties as well," Morris told ABC News.


WATCH: Deadly Tornadoes Leave Extensive Damage


At least one other person died in Quapaw, a small northeastern city near Oklahoma’s borders with Kansas and Missouri.


Ottawa County Emergency Management director Joe Dan Morgan said Quapaw, which has about 900 residents, was heavily damaged by the tornado.


"Looks like about half of town got extensive damage as well as the fire department," Morgan said.


After hitting Quapaw, the tornado continued north into Kansas, striking Baxter Springs. The heavy winds leveled buildings, leaving behind twisted metal and trashed homes.



PHOTO: A police officer talks to residents in Baxter Springs, Kan. after a storm tore through the town, April 27, 2014.

Roger Nomer/The Joplin Globe/AP Photo



A police officer talks to residents in Baxter Springs, Kan. after a storm tore through the town, April 27, 2014.



Search crews went house to house, checking on the safety of the community’s roughly 4,200 residents. No deaths have been reported in Baxter Springs.



PHOTO: A K-9 rescue unit surveys storm damage in Baxter Springs, Kan., April 27, 2014.

Roger Nomer/The Joplin Globe/AP Photo



A K-9 rescue unit surveys storm damage in Baxter Springs, Kan., April 27, 2014.



Tornadoes also touched down in Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, leaving residents awed and fearful. Some residents snapped photos and video of the brewing storm.


Some of the worst damage occurred in Mayflower, Arkansas, with a tornado turning homes to rubble. The town, located in the center of the state, covers about three square miles and has less than 2,000 residents.


"It turned pitch black," said Mark Ausbrooks, who was at his parents' home in Mayflower when the storm arrived. "I ran and got pillows to put over our heads and ... all hell broke loose."


"My parents' home, it's gone completely," he said.


Drone footage shows the level of destruction in Mayflower. Neighborhoods are gone, replaced by debris fields.


Mobile homes and campers ended up stacked atop one another. Vehicles were flipped and strewn like Matchbox cars.



PHOTO: John Ward, an automobile and RV dealer, looks an tornado damage to one of his trucks in Mayflower, Ark., April 27, 2014.

Danny Johnston/AP Photo



John Ward, an automobile and RV dealer, looks an tornado damage to one of his trucks in Mayflower, Ark., April 27, 2014.



Authorities issued tornado emergencies for the nearby communities of Maumelle, Morgan, Saltillo and Vilonia.


One of Sunday's twisters touched down northwest of Joplin, Mo., where a massive tornado in May 2011 killed 161 people, injured many others and leveled a large swath of the city. Sunday's twister didn't hit Joplin.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.









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