Tornadoes leave a trail of destruction in central US and kill at least 3 in Ohio
LAKEVIEW, Ohio — Severe storms with likely tornadoes tore through several central U.S. states, damaging homes and businesses and killing at least three people. More bodies are likely to be discovered, authorities said.
Thursday night’s storms left trails of destruction and injuries or deaths in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. Tornadoes were also suspected in Illinois and Missouri.
As the extent of the devastation became clear Friday, it appeared the Indian Lake area in Ohio’s Logan County, northwest of Columbus, was the hardest hit. At least three people died there, and Sheriff Randy Dodds told NBC’s Today show that cadaver dogs would be brought in to help find more.
“I unfortunately expect to find more deceased persons today,” Dodds said.
The suspected tornado destroyed the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, county spokesperson Sheri Timmers said. An RV park was damaged, Timmers said, and there were likely “many injuries.”
Amber Fagan, president of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, said Lakeview was “completely demolished,” with homes, campsites and a laundromat destroyed by the storm.
“There are places on fire,” she said. “There are power lines running through people’s windows.”
Blaine Schmidt, 34, was at his home in Lakeview and heard tornado sirens just before the storm hit his home. He took shelter in his bathtub, using the shower curtain to protect him from broken glass, along with his roommate, Greg McDougle, 60.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” Schmidt said.
About 40 people were injured by a suspected tornado in Winchester, Indiana, officials said. There were no known fatalities Friday morning.
“I am shocked; it’s overwhelming,” said Bob McCoy, mayor of the city of 4,700 residents about 70 miles northeast of Indianapolis. “I heard what sounded like a train, and then I started hearing sirens.”
He and his wife were in a closet during the twister, which struck around 8 p.m
“I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” McCoy said.
The storm in Winchester damaged a Walmart store and a Taco Bell restaurant, Randolph County Sheriff Art Moystner told FOX59/CBS4. Travel through the province is limited to first responders, he said.
West of Winchester, emergency officials said initial assessments suggested as many as half of the buildings in the town of Selma, population 750, had been damaged by a possible tornado. Only minor injuries were reported, the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release.
“Wonderful weather has affected Hoosiers across the state, and we have emergency response personnel in the affected areas,” Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb wrote on Facebook Thursday evening.
The Winchester School District was closed Friday, according to a Facebook post. A high school in Winchester had electricity and was open to people who ‘needed a warm and dry place’.
Another suspected tornado damaged homes and toppled trees in northern Ohio’s Huron County, officials said, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
Storms also damaged homes and trailers in the Ohio River communities of Hanover and Lamb, Indiana.
Sergeant Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police said Jefferson County, on the Ohio River north of Louisville, Kentucky, was hit by a suspected tornado, damaging homes and downing trees and power lines.
He posted photos to
In Kentucky, Andrew Stark, director of Trimble County Emergency Management, told the Courier Journal of Louisville that the storms damaged at least 50 buildings, including homes.
There was significant damage in the city of Milton, Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement, possibly damaging more than 100 buildings.
In Arkansas, a suspected tornado struck the retirement community of Hot Springs Village, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Little Rock, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Erik Green.
“It’s pretty clear that a tornado has hit Hot Springs Village,” Green said, and assessment teams will go to the area Friday to confirm the tornado.
Baseball-sized hail also fell and some buildings were destroyed, but there were no reports of deaths or injuries, Green said.
There were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois, but no immediate reports of damage. Large patches of hail were also reported in parts of the St. Louis area Thursday afternoon.
____ Associated Press journalists from around the country contributed to this report, including Lisa Baumann, Sarah Brumfield, Rick Callahan, Stefanie Dazio, Kathy McCormack, Ken Miller and Patrick Orsagos.