Sunday, May 25, 2008

Another Deadly Tornado in Minnasota




These are just three of the pictures of the devestation in Hugo, MN, that was hit by a tornado on Sunday afternoon. More pictures can be seen by clicking on the slideshow link below.

Here is the story from WCCO in the Twin Cities: (link to the site I got it from below)

"2-Year-Old Killed, 20 Missing In Hugo Tornado
HUGO, Minn. (AP) ― A town official says a 2-year-old child has died and 20 are missing after a severe storm swept through a St. Paul suburb.Hugo Fire Chief Jim Compton says another child in critical condition and transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul and another eight people were taken to area hospitals with injuries.Hugo City Administrator Mike Ericson says at least one dozen homes were destroyed and another three dozen damaged.Residents reported a tornado touching down in the area, but that has not been confirmed by the National Weather Service."It's horrible," Ericson said. "The citizens are very shook and scared."Dozens of emergency crews descended on the town to look for those who have not been located and assess the damage. About 15,500 customers in the northeast metro area were without power, Xcel Energy Company said.Hugo Public Works Director Chris Petree said his family took shelter in the basement before the storm lifted his house off the ground and completely wiped out the second floor of the home."I put my daughter down first, my wife on top of her and then I bear-hugged on top of them," Petree said.The storm system started northwest of the Twin Cities and quickly spread across the north metro area from Albertville through Coon Rapids and Hugo to the northeast. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Coon Rapids, downing power lines and uprooting trees.Earlier in the afternoon, the most damaging effects of the storm system came from large hail, ranging from nickel-sized to baseball-sized as it pelted Monticello, Maple Lake and Albertville, where some windows in houses and car windshields were shattered.Almost 800 were powerless in the St. Cloud-Monticello area as well, Xcel said.Hugo appeared to be the hardest hit, with residents saying a tornado touched down near the city's downtown late Sunday afternoon. They reported large hail, high winds and torrential rains as the system blew through the town.As he huddled in his basement against a foundation wall with his wife and 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Petree said they heard the thunderous sound of their house coming off the ground."All you hear is glass breaking and wood tearing and breaking in half," Petree said.A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.Several counties are under the watch. They include Anoka, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Kandiyohi, LeSueur, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, ramsey, Renville, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Winona and Wright counties."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Iowa and Minnesota was struck by a deadly tornado last night..The sad thing was 8 were confirmed dead..the killer tornado appears to be EF3-EF4..There were 43 tornado reports which mostly in Iowa..Home damages and injuries were also reported..