Twisters pound Midwest; more expected on Sunday

NEW: Suspected tornado hits an Air Force base and the Wichita airport A "confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado" strikes Kansas A possible tornado hits hospital in Iowa; no serious injuries reported Kansas and Missouri forecasters are testing graphic warnings Read more about this story at CNN affiliate KSNW. Are you there? Share videos, pictures and stories. (CNN) -- The entire population of one Midwest town was evacuated after a suspected tornado destroyed three out of every four homes, while other communities that survived one round of a powerful storm system that spawned dozens of suspected twisters waited another
that was barreling down early Sunday. The tornado outbreak was predicted by National Weather Service forecasters, who said there was a "high risk" of severe thunderstorms into Sunday in portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma that put more than 5 million people on alert. In southwest Iowa, the entire population -- roughly 300 people -- of the small town of Thurman was evacuated after a suspected tornado struck Saturday night, damaging or destroying 75% of the homes, said Mike Crecelius, Fremont County's emergency management director. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the storm, though John Benson of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management told CNN he expects there will be reports "just because of the sheer magnitude of it." By early Sunday morning, many Thurman residents who had taken temporary shelter at a high school in nearby Tabor were again in the path of a storm that spawned suspected tornadoes in Kansas and sent tens of thousands running for shelter. "I can hear the rumbling in the distance. You can see the lightning. Whatever is in Kansas is coming this way," Crecelius said. There were more than 88 preliminary tornado reports by late Saturday night, said Pat Slattery, a spokesman for the National Weather Service's Central Region in Kansas City, Missouri. It is possible the number of tornadoes reported are inflated by multiple reports, he said. A dozen more suspected tornadoes were reported by early Sunday as a storm system worked its way across Kansas, though it will be daylight before the National Weather Service can confirm the touchdowns. Across the south and central Plains, storm chasers broadcast images of funnel clouds roaring through rural landscapes. Residents in some high-risk areas received new warnings intended to grab their attention and prompt them to find safe shelter. By midnight, authorities in Wichita, the largest city struck by a suspected twister, were working to determine the scope of the damage and bracing for another round of possible tornadoes by early Sunday morning. There were no immediate reports of injuries. At the Marriott in downtown Wichita, Johnny Williams watched over eight children in an interior ballroom where the group took shelter from the strom. The power at the hotel was out, and emergency lightning was being used, he said. The group, from Oklahoma City, were in town for a basketball camp when the storm struck. "We play together as a team, and we believe together as a team," Williams said. "We really believe everything will be all right." Damage was reported at McConnell Air Force Base, just south of Wichita, said Sharon Watson of Kansas Emergency Management Association. She also said there was flooding reported in downtown Wichita. Affiliate KSNW in Wichita told CNN a roof collapse was reported at Spirit Aero Systems, which produces fuselages and other equipment for Boeing aircraft. A possible tornado also struck the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, throwing baggage carts across the runways, overturning jetways and blowing out windows, KSNW said. More than 20,000 customers were reported in the dark and the local 911 call center was also experiencing some problems since it was directly in the path of the storm. Earlier, a tornado struck a hospital in Creston, Iowa, blowing out windows and damaging the roof, Benson, of the of Iowa Emergency Management, said. if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Rob Marciano reported from Oklahoma and Kansas. CNN's Jacqui Jeras, Maria White, Phil Gast and Greg Morrison reported from Atlanta.

Twisters pound Midwest; more expected on Sunday 2012-04-15T00:15:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999