Twisters sweep across US Midwest, killing eight
Pastor Dale Morgan
Twisters sweep across US Midwest, killing eight*
* Story Highlights
* NEW: Seven people killed in Iowa towns of Parkersburg and New Hartford
* Hugo, Minnesota twister kills toddler, injures 9 other people,
destroys 50 homes
* Coon Rapids, Minnesota, twister downs trees, damages homes; no
injuries reported
* Funnel clouds were also spotted in Texas
(CNN) -- Tornadoes swept through the Midwest on Sunday, killing seven
people in Iowa and a toddler in Minnesota.
Jeff Anderson, left, helps Billy Pierce move a horse away from debris on
a farm in Dunkerton, Iowa, on Sunday.
A tornado touched down in the north-central Iowa town of Parkersburg at
about 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET), killing five before moving 10 miles east to
New Hartford, where two others died in the storm, said Troy Price, a
spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver.
Spotters also reported a tornado near Dunkerton -- about 40 miles east
of Parkersburg -- that they said caused considerable damage and flung
debris as the storm moved at 23 miles per hour. Marble-sized hail fell
over Waterloo, where authorities reported significant damage to homes,
trees and power lines.
"Early reports indicate that these communities have suffered severe and
widespread damage, and I plan to visit the region very soon to offer my
support to those affected," Culver said in a prepared statement. He
declared disaster areas in three counties.
Meanwhile, a Minnesota twister killed a 2-year-old child and seriously
injured nine other people -- including another child -- in suburban
Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The tornado struck Hugo, about 25 miles north of the Twin Cities,
destroying 50 homes and damaging another 150, city manager Mike Ericson
told CNN.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado in Hugo that touched
down just after 5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. ET), and authorities reported
twisters in nearby Coon Rapids and Blain.
Video from the scene showed chairs, televisions, shingles and other
debris tossed into the streets of the 11,500-population Hugo.
Nickel-sized hail and larger pelted the suburb. Video See an aerial view
of storm damage in Minnesota »
Sgt. Rick Boone of the Coon Rapids Police Department said a twister cut
through the middle of town, downing trees and causing minor damage to
several homes. No fatalities or injuries were immediately reported.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty planned to meet with local authorities
Monday afternoon and tour the affected areas.
Earlier in the day, authorities in Moore County, Texas, reported
sightings of three twisters, though details were not immediately available.
On Saturday, tornadoes formed over northern Oklahoma, skipping across
the rural landscape and severely damaging a hog farm about an hour
northwest of Oklahoma City. There were no reports of injuries, officials
said.
However, two people were found dead in south-central Kansas on Saturday
in a car accident that authorities said was caused by a tornado.