Tornadoes Have Killed At Least 3 People In Ohio. Crews Are Searching For Others

Lakeview, Ohio – Tornadoes ripped through several central U.S. states, destroying homes and trailers in an RV park and killing at least three people, police said. Crews and cadaver dogs looked for more victims in the rubble on Friday.

Storms ripped over Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas on Thursday night, leaving havoc. Approximately 40 individuals were hurt, and dozens of homes were damaged in one Indiana hamlet. Tornadoes are also suspected in Illinois and Missouri.

Tornadoes Have Killed At Least 3 People In Ohio. Crews Are Searching For Others

The Indian Lake area in Ohio’s Logan County, northwest of Columbus, appears to have been impacted the hardest, with the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point decimated. Sheriff Randy Dodds reported that at least three persons had perished.

Dodds said that search personnel went into communities blocked by gas leaks and fallen trees overnight and made a second run in areas that were checked in the darkness immediately following the storm.

“It’s going to take a long time,” he added, adding that he was unaware of missing people. Earlier, the sheriff told NBC’s “Today” show that he expected more victims to be discovered.

When the roof collapsed, Sandy Smith was walking down the stairs with her cat to a laundry room with her family.

“A couple flashes of light, and then everything just peppered against the house,” she said. Her spouse then witnessed the garage blow away.

The hurricane tore off the roofs of residences and wrecked a campground and laundromat, leaving twisted metal wrapped around the tops of trees. Snowploughs removed debris from roadways.

According to Amber Fagan, president of the local chamber of commerce, the storm caused fires in some areas and draped power wires through residential windows.

Many nearby properties serve as summer cottages for folks who come to fish and boat.

Blaine Schmidt, 34, combed through broken glass and splintered wood, looking for salvageable items. He salvaged a guitar. Most of his belongings, including furniture and a cot, were destroyed. Toy dinosaurs were thrown around his yard at the front of the house, which had been pulled apart, revealing a torn-apart couch.

He heard tornado sirens just before the storm struck Lakeview. He sought refuge in his bathtub, using the shower curtain to shield him and his roommate from shattering glass. “I’m lucky to be alive,” Schmidt remarked.

Weather officials had not yet confirmed many tornadoes, but amazed citizens across the region captured funnels on video.

Officials in Indiana said that a tornado injured 38 people near Winchester, but no one died.

Residents of the hamlet of 4,700, located about 70 miles (110 kilometres) northeast of Indianapolis, scooped up tree limbs and sheet metal from their yards on Friday. Shingles littered the streets and fields, and the high school served as a temporary shelter.

Carey Todd, 55, said the tornado resembled “a bunch of black birds.”

The church was destroyed. A few fragments remained, including a mural of a flowing river with a white awning attached. A placard beneath the painting said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”

Tornadoes Have Killed At Least 3 People In Ohio. Crews Are Searching For Others

Mayor Bob McCoy said the storm damaged or destroyed approximately 130 homes and a Taco Bell establishment. He and his wife hid in a cupboard when the tornado struck at 8 p.m.

“I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” he said.

West of Winchester, officials warned that up to half of the structures in Selma, a community of 750 people, could have been damaged. According to an emergency press release, only minor injuries were recorded.

Governor Eric Holcomb hailed Indiana’s first responders, stating, “By the grace of God, everyone has lived through it all.”

Officials said another tornado damaged homes and toppled trees in Huron County, northern Ohio, but no one was killed or injured. Storms also caused damage to homes and trailers in the Ohio River villages of Hanover and Lamb, Indiana.

Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark reported that two persons were injured in Milton, Kentucky after their automobile was hit by debris from a tornado that damaged 100 homes and businesses.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Erik Green, a likely tornado slammed the retirement community of Hot Springs Village, located about 40 miles (64 kilometres) southwest of Little Rock.

Tornadoes Have Killed At Least 3 People In Ohio. Crews Are Searching For Others

Baseball-sized hail also fell, destroying some buildings, but no fatalities or injuries were reported, according to Green.

Tornadoes were reported in both Jefferson County, Missouri and Monroe County, Illinois.

On Friday, the National Weather Service anticipated more severe weather for parts of the South, including destructive winds and isolated tornadoes.

SOURCE – (AP)