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Topic: Strong storms in Branson,Mo |
Ransom Beers
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 6:47 am |
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B0b if this is not in the right place please move it.Ithought it would be of interest seeing as how a lot of the forum members live /work in Branson.
Intense storms batter Midwest; 1 dead, dozens hurt
Feb 29, 9:13 AM (ET)
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) - A powerful storm system bearing a string of possible tornadoes left at least one person dead and dozens injured as it tore roofs from buildings, upturned trailers and wreaked chaos across a broad swath of the Midwest.
Forecasters had predicted conditions ripe for tornadoes before the storms broke out around midnight Tuesday, saving most of their furor for Kansas and Missouri. High winds, severe storms and tornadoes were possible in several southern states as the system tracked eastward Wednesday.
An apparent tornado left a trail of destruction in the tourist hub of Branson, where the storm seemed to have hopscotched up Highway 76, scattering the area with debris, uprooting road signs, and heavily damaging buildings in the city's famous theater district.
Skaggs Regional Medical Center in Branson treated 32 people in its emergency department in the hours after the storm, mostly for cuts and bruises, said Michelle Leroux, spokeswoman for the hospital. Power was out at two non-clinical buildings but otherwise the hospital was operating normally, Leroux said.
Jennifer Verhaalen, a long-term resident at the Hillbilly Inn Motel in downtown Branson, said she saw a white funnel cloud followed by a wall of rain as the storm closed in on the town around 1 a.m.
She said she retreated to a back bedroom with her husband as the storm slammed into two other hotel buildings tearing the roof off one.
Across the road, a strip mall lay in tatters, its roof missing and several walls collapsed. As the sun rose Wednesday, business owners picked through the remains of their stores.
Keith and Glenna Bartley, tourists from Kingsport, Tenn., said staff at the Grand Victorian Hotel where they were staying ushered them to the hotel's basement around 1:30 a.m., where they cowered as the storm barreled over the hotel.
Branson has long been a touristy outdoor destination for visitors from across the Midwest and South who came to see the beauty of the surrounding Ozarks. But the city rose to prominence in the 1990s largely due to the theater district, where venues featured the star power of country music and celebrities including the Osmonds and Andy Williams.
Further north, rescue crews awaited sunrise Wednesday to begin scouring a trailer park south of Buffalo where at least one person was killed after an apparent tornado slammed the area.
Lt. Dana Eagan of the Dallas County Sheriff's Office said the storm left 13 people at the park injured and knocked out power to all of Buffalo, about 35 miles north of Springfield.
The National Weather Service typically sends teams in the hours and days following a storm of this size to determine if a tornado struck.
Tornado season normally starts in March, but it isn't unusual to see severe storms earlier in the year. Forecasters have a particularly difficult time assessing how serious a season will be in part because twisters are so unpredictable. This year, two people were killed by separate tornadoes in Alabama in January, and preliminary reports have showed 95 tornadoes struck that month.
In neighboring Kansas, the National Weather Service reported brief tornado touchdowns southwest of Hutchinson and Gov. Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency after an apparent tornado struck Harveyville.
The declaration covered Wabaunsee County, southwest of Topeka. The governor's office said one person was critically injured, several homes and a church were damaged, and trees and power lines were down.
The system also skirted northern Arkansas, bringing gusts of up to 60 miles per hour in the northwest. A wall cloud was reported in Cherokee Village, where trees were scattered along roads, the weather service said. Residents of Clay County in northeastern Arkansas, reported hail the size of golf balls, while half-dollar-sized hail was reported in Mountain Home.
In northern Oklahoma, gusts of up to 80 mph flipped trailers and damaged homes near Cherokee.
Tornado warnings and watches were posted for most of Kentucky and a large portion of Kentucky.
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 7:22 am
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Yeah, we're watching the storms right now about 35-50 miles near to the Louisville Metro area. Tornado warnings down around E-town, Leitchfield, Hodgenville etc. and several reports of tornadoes on the ground and damage as well. Other reports around the area of high winds and hail damage.
I'm hoping it all stays south and east of us. |
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Ransom Beers
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 7:57 am
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| Was just looking at an update & 4 were killed & some of the theaters in Branson were damaged. |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 9:34 am
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We are saddened here in Lebanon Mo. by the loss of life and damage in the Branson area and others caught in this storm.
We realization that we were fortunate to not have anyone here in Lebanon lose their life.
Unlike the last tornado we had here this one missed my home. Our prayers go out to all you folks who suffered loss in this storm. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 1:12 pm
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Sympathies to the families of those who lost loved ones and have no home to go to tonite.
Here in KY, E-town, Hodgenville, Caneyville for sure all have devastation from at least magnitude F-2 tornadoes. Destroyed homes and businesses around the area, no reports of deaths thankfully, but several injuries associated with these storms. Watches and warnings continue east and south of our area. |
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Ransom Beers
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 2:35 pm
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I think 3 of the deaths were in Harrisburg Ill. & 1 in Branson,but don't quote me on the Branson one,I'm not sure about that,just rumor.
Update:Now they're saying 9 people died in the storms.
Has anyone heard from Keith Hilton? He lives in Ozark which is very close to Branson & Holister. |
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 7:13 pm
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My sister lost 2 houses on the lake.
Thankfully they were out of town but the houses are totaled.
They would have not survived had they been there.
Their primary residence is flattened.
_________________
MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 29 Feb 2012 7:13 pm
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At least 4 F2 grade tornadoes in the area here. Still no reports of lost life but widespread devastation including one entire residential area.
To add insult to injury, the lowlife scum of the earth have attempted to loot the area to rob already despondent stricken victims of what little they have left. National Guard patrols will hopefully show no mercy toward any of this less than human garbage.
We have several forumites that live in these Ky areas. I haven't seen any of them log in today. I hope they are all OK.
Forecast is for possibly more of the same on Friday. Hope they're wrong. |
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Ransom Beers
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Posted 1 Mar 2012 5:50 am
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| Death toll has climbed to over 10 at last update. |
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Ransom Beers
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Posted 1 Mar 2012 5:50 am
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| Death toll has climbed to over 10 at last update. |
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