Three dead as severe storms damage homes and businesses across central US states
15 March 2024, 12:34
The storms left trails of destruction in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.
Severe storms with probable tornadoes have torn through several central US states, damaging homes and businesses and killing at least three people, with more bodies likely to be discovered, authorities said.
As the sun rose on Friday, officials scrambled to assess the extent of the destruction with the power out.
The three deaths came in Logan County, Ohio, according to the sheriff’s office there.
Thursday night’s storms also left trails of destruction in Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. Tornadoes were also suspected in Illinois and Missouri.
“Three people have been confirmed dead. We are working on identifying the victims,” said a statement from chief deputy Joe Kopus, of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
There were “many, many significant injuries” after a suspected tornado in Winchester, Indiana, where search efforts were under way, officials said. There were no known fatalities as of Friday morning.
“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” said Bob McCoy, mayor of the town of 4,700 about 70 miles north-east of Indianapolis. “I heard what sounded like a train, and then I started hearing sirens.”
He and his wife were sheltering in a closet during the twister, which hit at around 8pm.
“I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” Mr McCoy said.
The Winchester storm damaged a Walmart store and a Taco Bell restaurant, said Randolph County sheriff Art Moystner. Travel throughout the county is restricted to emergency management workers, he said.
West of Winchester, emergency management officials said initial assessments suggested as many as half the structures in the town of Selma were damaged by a possible tornado. Only minor injuries were reported, the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said.
In Ohio’s Logan County, a suspected tornado tore through the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, county spokesperson Sheri Timmers said. An RV park was damaged, Ms Timmers said, and there were likely “lots of injuries”.
Amber Fagan, president and chief executive of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, said the community of Lakeview was “completely demolished”, with homes and campgrounds hit by the tornado.
“There’s places burning,” she said. “There’s power lines through people’s windows.”
In Ohio’s Huron County, emergency officials posted on Facebook that there was a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Plymouth, some 75 miles north-east of Indian Lake.
Storms also damaged homes and trailers in the Ohio River communities of Hanover and Lamb in Indiana.
Sgt Stephen Wheeles, of the Indiana State Police, earlier said another suspected tornado struck Jefferson County, on the Ohio River north of Louisville, Kentucky, damaging homes and downing trees and power lines.
He posted photos on X showing one home with its roof torn off, as well as an image of a baseball-sized hailstone.
In Kentucky, Trimble County Emergency Management director Andrew Stark told the Courier Journal of Louisville that the storms damaged at least 50 structures, including homes.
There was significant damage in the town of Milton, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said in a statement, with potentially more than 100 structures damaged.
In Arkansas, a suspected tornado struck the retirement community of Hot Springs Village, about 40 miles south-west of Little Rock, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Erik Green.
“It’s pretty clear cut that a tornado did hit Hot Springs Village,” Mr Green said.
Baseball-sized hail also fell and some buildings were destroyed, but there were no reports of fatalities or injuries, Mr Green said.
There were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois, but no immediate reports of damage. Large pieces of hail were also reported in parts of the St Louis area on Thursday afternoon.
