Dozens Feared Dead as Tornadoes Rip Across Midwest
Fierce storms ripped through several Midwestern states, and officials fear at least 24 people are dead while an unknown number are injured and trapped by a "three-quarter to one mile wide, three-mile long" tornado that touched down in Joplin, Mo.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Sunday evening and activated the Missouri National Guard in response to the destruction the storm left in its wake.
In Joplin, St. John's Regional Medical Center was fully evacuated after it took a direct hit from the tornado, and seven people have been reported dead at a local nursing home, according to police reports. In the city of about 50,000 people, which sits 160 miles south of Kansas City, the tornado was reported to be one mile wide, while winds of nearly 200 miles per hour ravaged residents.
State and local law enforcement agencies, including fire mutual aid, are coordinating search and rescue and recovery operations. The Missouri State Highway Patrol sent troopers from other regions to help local officers in southern Missouri deal with the destruction, according to a statement from a Missouri Governor's official.
75% of the city is gone, with very populated areas having been hit by the storm, according to ABC News affiliate KODE. Cries could be heard early Monday morning from people trapped below the wreckage, while crews have been pulling out bodies and lining them up in the streets for loved ones to identify.
/AP Photo
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There is now fear of gas explosions in the storm's aftermath, and authorities are telling people not to light any cigarettes because so many gas pipes are broken, they are afraid that what's left of Joplin is going to go up in flames, KODE reports.
"These storms have caused extensive damage across Missouri, and they continue to pose significant risk to lives and property," Nixon said. "As a state, we are deploying every agency and resource available to keep Missouri families safe, search for the missing, provide emergency medical care, and begin to recover."
Federal Emergency Management Agency Region VII set up a response coordination center and sent a liason team to the Missouri state emergency communications center, according to a FEMA official.
"Basically it's an all out effort to get all of the most important resources available for this type of situation down as soon as possible," a state emergency management spokesperson said.
In total 70 tornadoes were produced by the storm system since Friday, including 47 tornadoes and counting on Sunday. Tornadoes were reported in seven states from the Canadian border to Oklahoma. Warnings and watches were posted from Texas to Michigan.
President Obama released a statement on the emergency late Sunday night.
"Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri as well as communities across the Midwest today. We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbors at this very difficult time," Obama said in the statement.
"At my direction, FEMA is working with the affected areas' state and local officials to support response and recovery efforts, and the federal government stands ready to help our fellow Americans as needed," he added.
Earlier Sunday, tornadoes had torn across other parts of the region, killing at least one person in Minneapolis.
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