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Tornadoes Kill 3 as Storms Rip Midwest

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
,
AP
posted: 182 DAYS 3 HOURS AGO
comments: 98
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KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (May 14) -- Violent storms tore through four Midwestern states, killing three people in northern Missouri, damaging dozens of homes and leaving thousands without power.
At least two tornadoes touched down in Adair County Wednesday night, authorities said. In Kirksville, the twister damaged at least 60 buildings and scattered cars and glass across a car dealership. Ten homes were destroyed.
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Weather Resources: Get Your Forecast | Weather Maps
A couple living in a modular home died when their home "just exploded" from the force of the wind, said Adair County coroner Brian Noe.
To the west in Sullivan County, a 56-year-old woman died when her mobile home was thrown an estimated 40 feet by the storm, said Emergency Management director Rick Gardner. The woman's husband, who was working in his wood shop in an adjacent building, survived.
Don Williams rode out the storm in his basement with his wife and four children. He described a "wall of rain shooting sideways" that ripped the roof off his home.
"It just tore everything up," he said. "It was just a blur. Insulation and trees blowing everywhere. I could see stuff just flying through my house."
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Six people were treated for storm-related injuries at Northeast Regional Medical Center, but their injuries were considered minor.
The Kirksville-area tornado was one-half mile wide and stayed on the ground for about a mile and a half, county officials said Thursday morning.
In Gillespie, northeast of St. Louis, school was canceled Thursday because much of the town was without power and some school buildings were damaged.
In Caddo County in southwest Oklahoma, where a possible tornado tore roofs off homes and businesses in Gracemont and Anadarko, school officials canceled classes for the day because of widespread power outages.
Dozens of inmates were evacuated from the Caddo County jail because of a gas line break, said Caddo County Emergency Management Director Larry McDuffey.
In northeast Oklahoma, a 100 mph wind gust was recorded west of the Bartlesville airport in Washington County, authorities said. The high winds downed trees and power lines, temporarily cutting power to thousands.
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Central Indiana saw wind gusts of up to 60 mph and street flooding was reported in Vincennes, Linton and Rockville, authorities said. Utilities reported 8,000 were without power in and around Indianapolis early Thursday.
In Illinois, a range of windy storms dumped as much as 3 inches of rain within 50 minutes. National Weather Service meteorologist Ed Shimon called the accumulation "unbelievable," comparing it to heavy rainfall in the tropics.
The storm was continuing in southern Illinois early Thursday, with lightning, heavy rain and strong wind gusts, Shimon said.
The latest storms come less than a week after another batch of severe weather, including at least a dozen confirmed tornadoes, ravaged parts of southern Missouri. Those storms killed four people and damaged or destroyed several hundred homes.
Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth and Andale Gross in Kansas City, Rochelle Hines in Oklahoma City and Rupa Shenoy in Chicago contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-05-14 06:29:15

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Wbischo

12:19 AMJun 07 2009

When Bush stole the Presidency, he seems to have stolen the decency and integrity of his followers as well. They must have the worst guilty conscience in history, to be saying such mean, hateful things on their blogs. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY, HE COULD , NEVER EVER, GIVE US AS BAD AN EIGHT YEARS AS GWBUSH AND CO. DID. Obama has two VERY IMPORTANT attributes going for him which Bush did NOT. Obama is INTELLIGENT, and Obama CARES ABOUT THIS COUNTRY! I am willing to accept any outcome, as long as I know these two things about him, because I know he will be doing the best he can for our country.

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Larrysutton1956

06:05 AMMay 15 2009

i dont know whos god your taking about but mine is a mercyful god he is kind and he died for our sins so we could live, this person who talks about its gods fault you are wrong people sin and lie and everything esle,i love my lord jesus christ im not ashamed of him u need to read a bible are talk to someone, before u die and burn in hell.get forgiveness before its to late this world will not stand to much longer jesus is coming back and sooner than u think.god bless u.

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Larrysutton1956

06:04 AMMay 15 2009

i dont know whos god your taking about but mine is a mercyful god he is kind and he died for our sins so we could live, this person who talks about its gods fault you are wrong people sin and lie and everything esle,i love my lord jesus christ im not ashamed of him u need to read a bible are talk to someone, before u die and burn in hell.get forgiveness before its to late this world will not stand to much longer jesus is coming back and sooner than u think.god bless u.

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SVCIPCB

01:54 AMMay 15 2009

Hey KarenLaFlemme...pretty shi.ty mouth on you btch

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Penlanddj

12:36 AMMay 15 2009

TOO BAD THERE WASN'T AN "AIR FORCE ONE" R-E-A-L FLY-OVER PHOTO-OP DURING THAT "WHOPPER-TORNADO"...A LITTLE "JOY RIDE" FOR "O-BUM-MER & CO."!!!

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(3)

Roller386

11:40 PMMay 15 2009

KarenLeFemme, Who is supposed to control God? He says he does what he pleases. Do you think you are the result of accident? Look at your own body how complex and beautiful is, and you would still think that nobody was behind this.

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TecOpticWS

10:25 PMMay 15 2009

wow

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AK2stepin

10:04 PMMay 15 2009

TELL ME WHY YOU ATTACKED ME!!!!!!!! TELL ME!!!!!! TELL ME!!!!!!YOUR MOTHER SUCKS $OCKS IN HELL!!!!!!!!Who scraped this person off their jackknife?A Depakote,Welllbutrin,clonazepam cocktail anyone?

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AK2stepin

10:03 PMMay 15 2009

TELL ME WHY YOU ATTACKED ME!!!!!!!! TELL ME!!!!!! TELL ME!!!!!!YOUR MOTHER SUCKS $OCKS IN HELL!!!!!!!!Who scraped this person off their jackknife?A Depakote,Welllbutrin,clonazepam cocktail anyone?

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Aflsnm

09:47 PMMay 15 2009

Haha Mad Props to the Video Guy ... lol whhhhoooo hoooo!

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Violent storms tore through four Midwestern states, killing three people in northern Missouri, damaging dozens of homes and leaving thousands without power.