The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 5

NEWS-LEADER OzarksNow.com Monday, May 5. 2003 5A litest like tike movie "TwMer9? 9 'V. At least 22 killed in region's twisters Missouri governor tours Platte County town, prepares to name disaster areas. By David Scott THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Kansas City, Kan. The series of tornadoes pummel-ing Kansas and Missouri on Sunday killed at least 22 people in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee as they left a swath of destruction a quarter-mile wide in some places.

The tornadoes were part of a large storm system that hit the Midwest, spawning twisters in South Dakota and Nebraska as well. Col. Joy Moser, spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, said the agency had confirmed five deaths, including four in Crawford County in southeast Kansas. She said dozens of homes and buildings were damaged and destroyed around the region. Cars and trucks were tossed into a ravine full of splintered trees in Kansas City, and several houses were knocked off their foundations.

Officials at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, said they treated 22 people injured by the tornado, but most were released after suffering minor cuts and bruises. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared seven counties disaster areas, and Missouri Gov. Bob Holden said the process was under way to declare disaster areas in his state. Holden toured Northmoor, a small town in Platte County, where between 25 and 30 homes were either damaged or destroyed.

The town's City Hall and police station also were damaged. Tornadoes strike SItVt J.P. LIANG NLWS-LEADER Charlie McGinty, who lives on Cedar County Road 1775 and Cedar County describes how a tornado destroyed his garage on Sunday at his 10-acre homestead. "At one point, I was looking out the window and debris was moving by so fast, it was just like the movie he said. Household appliances, such as a refrigerator and freezer, a lawn mower and tools were scattered in across his lawn.

many areas of southwest Missouri At least two powerful thunderstorms spawned tornadoes Sunday night, leaving several people dead and many areas of damage and destruction. Information as of 12:30 a.m. today. Confirmed tornado touchdown General storm tracks Maries 0. Miller Camdenton RollaQ Phelps TORNADOES, from Page 1A basement.

Sheriff's officials added homes in the area had been destroyed and a train had been derailed. In Jasper County, two people were confirmed dead, though authorities say other casualties may come from the Kansas side of the border. One woman was killed near Highway in Christian County, said Sheriff's Sergeant Jeremy Whitehill. Roads into Republic were shut down because of power lines on the road, White-hill added. "We're still in the chaotic stage," Whitehill said late Sunday, when crews were still congregating and assessing damage.

Several agencies responded to the area, including crews from Hurley, Crane, Stone County and Clever. Highway was shut down for a time for power lines along the road. Stockton authorities shut down roads to keep spectators out of the way of rescue crews trying to sift through rubble for victims. The storm battered Cedar County around 6:30 p.m., leaving tree trunks and debris blocking several roadways. Downtown Stockton was heavily damaged, witnesses said.

Jim and Betty Jones live in the country about 3 miles from the square in Stockton, where they own a building built in 1890. "We saw the funnel from our deck. We saw it as it came through Stockton," Jim Jones said. "We stood out on the deck and we heard the sirens start to sound." Because of fallen power lines, law enforcement officers blocked motorists from heading west on Missouri 32. The Joneses called their son Bryan Jones, who was in Stockton and had seen the devastation caused by the tornado which tore west to east through the town down Missouri 32.

In the square, Bryan Jones discovered that the top floor of their 3-story building had crumbled, leaving waist-high rubble around the building and in the nearby alley, Jim Jones said. The Joneses also own a photography shop, and all of Betty Jones' photo equipment was stored on the top floor. The courthouse and the Liberty Bank appeared to be OK, but the rest of the buildings on the square appeared flattened. On the east side of the square, the new Mid-Missouri Bank was hit, as was a new Napa store and a Subway store in a new strip mall west of the square. The landmark Holiday House Restaurant, east of the square, was gone.

Jim Jones was saddened to hear the news. "But we're grateful there wasn't loss of life in our immediate family," he said. "But there might be problems in other families." Along a rural road just outside of Stockton, Charlie McGinty assessed the damage to his 10-acre homestead. Standing on a stone slab where his garage once stood, he watched where only the roof remained a few feet away. Three air ventilators were still spinning on top.

"At one point, I was looking out the window and debris was moving by so fast it was just like the movie he said. A refrigerator, freezer, lawn mower and woodworking tools were scattered around the lawn. Trail of Pulaski Dent I Texas Shannon Wright A I JV 1 Oregon Stockton Tornado hits downtown area, massive damage reported. Liberal Tornado confirmed, one death reported, train derailed. Carl Junction Tornado confirmed, details unavailable.

Pierce City Tornado hits downtown area, massive damage and deaths reported. Aurora, Marionville and Verona Tornado confirmed, details unavailable. SOURCE: PRELIMINARY REPORTS FROM NATIONAL WEATHER r- i iorrwi5 Barton LjJJ. (j JasPer McDonald Springfield "That had my dinner in it," McGinty said, motioning to the refrigerator. His neighbor's house didn't fare quite as well.

It suffered roof damage, and a vehicle went through a window. Throughout the evening, strained voices packed emergency scanners with pleas from overwhelmed departments for assistance. Many residents went to area stores to stock up. Officials at Westlake Hardware on Campbell Avenue in Springfield stayed open late for homeowners to get supplies. "Three groups came in buying flashlights from Battlefield," said Bob Bowman, assistant manager.

"They said every house around them was gone." CoxHealth spokeswoman Laurie Cunningham said 22 patients were treated for storm-related injuries at Cox Monett hospital. In Springfield, 10 were treated at Cox South and two at Cox North, she said. People from many areas of Springfield reported odd debris falling from the sky as the storm passed through. Chris Albert's northeast neighborhood wasn't hit by the tornado but was full of insulation, shingles and other items, including a few books that landed in Albert's front yard near the intersection of East Chestnut Expressway and Cedarbrook Road. One book he found, "The Prevalence of These Essential Things," was a book on prayer.

"I just thought that was really odd," said Albert. He also found a book in his front yard about winning at Nintendo sports games. "I've never seen a book fall out of the sky before," Albert said. Albert said his prayer was that the people who owned the books were OK. "I hope they're all right," Albert said.

"This has been an awful night." Reporters Ryan Slight, Jonathan Groves, Karen Culp, Aaron Deslatte, Mike Penprase and Sony Hocklander contributed to this report. Morgan Benton Sf. Clair Camden Hickory Christian County Tornado confirmed near Tornado Clever with several homes reported destroyed, one death reported. confirmed, details unavailable. SERVICE AND LOCAL EMERGENCY PERSONNEL Matlock said the American Red Cross has established a shelter at Billings High School.

Clever resident Dan Dover and his family watched the tornado as they drove through the county. "You could see debris coming out of it. It looked like blue smoke," Dover said. "We saw an 8-foot-long piece of tin come down out of the sky." Dover said the aftermath was surreal. As he drove toward his home, he saw houses that were torn apart, uprooted trees and dead cattle.

"It reminded me of pictures from World War I after they'd drop the carpet bombs," he said. "There was a 20-acre patch of trees where there was nothing left but bare trunks." At one point, Dover saw an injured woman strapped to a chair in the back of a pickup -j Camden Hirltrtrv i Dallas1- 1 Cedar Polk i Laclede Dade i I i Webster: Greene Lawrence I OQL i ChnstX yf Bmy Stone Taney 0mk Battlefield (-wt fA r-; i mnitiiiirtiiiiniim i 1 --v-; a.t.i.am The governor said the damage was "the worst I've seen from a tornado in several years." Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Greg Gardner, Kansas' director of emergency management, said state officials knew of four tornadoes that touched down in the region. The largest tornado first touched down west of Bonner Springs in Leavenworth County, around 3:30 p.m., said Lynn Maximuk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

It moved through Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties and east into Platte and Clay counties in Missouri, doing heavy damage in the northern section of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The tornado reached 500 yards across at its widest, Maximuk said. It finally died out shortly before 6:30 p.m. in Ray County, northeast of Kansas City, meteorologist Lisa Schmit said. At Kansas City International Airport, officials stopped all flights and evacuated the terminals.

After about 30 minutes in underground tunnels, the passengers were allowed to leave. The storm tore a wide swath through Gladstone, damaging roofs and shattering windows. about the house and farm." He said his neighbor had a 40-foot-high barn with hay bales. "It's gone. It's unreal," he said.

As Mike Sims, 33, walked along his property, he could see the funnel clouds four of them merging into one giant twister gathering in the evening sky. "Strangest thing I ever saw," the fourth-generation cattle farmer said. Sims said he ran to the house to tell his father, Ray, to get to the basement. The storm was passing south of his property. Sims jumped in his truck and began driving across his land.

As he sped through the property, he tried to call his neighbors on his cell phone. But the phone service was cut off. "I couldn't get out to nobody," he said. Sims' property suffered little damage. In the Stockton area, a tornado blew off a roof Sunday and landed it on Cedar County near Missouri 32.

The storm hit Cedar County around 6:30 p.m., leaving tree trunks and debris blocking several roadways. Witnesses said downtown Stockton was heavily damaged. Tornado confirmed on south side of city, details unavailable. JEFF HARPER NEWS-LEADER SIEVE J.P. LIANG NIWS-LEADLR truck.

"I think they were trying to get her to the hospital," Dover said. Ty Schrader, 39, buzzed up to emergency crews on an all-terrain vehicle shortly after checking damage. The Christian County cattle farmer said the storm had killed some of his herd. "We lost some tonight," he said. There's trees on top of them now.

I hate to see what it will look like in the morning." Schrader was just coming out of the shower at his grandparents' home when others told him about the twister. He and five acquaintances then rode out the vicious winds in a 120-square-foot storm cellar. "It was moving real fast it was a big rumble like a freight train," he said. I knew I was going to be safe because I was underground. But I still worried devastation left in Christian County Sheriff reports one woman died; homes, barns and cattle fall victim in Clever and Billings.

barn is gone," Carns said as she assessed the damage Sunday night. Of the 37 horses corralled in the barn, one was confirmed dead. The tornado ripped through Christian County, chewing a devastating path between Clever and Billings. Sheriff Joey Matlock said a middle-aged woman was Killed when the twister By Jonathan Groves and Eric Eckert NEWS-LEADER Clever Horse groomer Katy Cams and her roommate rushed to the bedroom closet of their little blue house when they saw the storm clouds approach. Once the pair had GreweC squeezed into the tiny space, Cams cracKed the closet door to peek Want to hefp? The American Red Cross is setting up emergency shelters and assistance centers for tornado victims.

For information, call (417) 832-9500. The high winds pushed the woman's home off its foundation. The roof was lying on the ground; the kitchen was exposed. Late Sunday night, Matlock and his deputies were checking for anyone who may be trapped in other damaged homes. He said there hadn't been other injuries reported.

"There's a lot of damage to homes, barns, buildings. We're trying to get an assessment of the path of damage." Clever ripped through her home a half-mile north of Clever on Christian County P. The woman's husband, who was also in the home, was apparently not injured. The victim's name would not be released until the family was notified, the sheriff said. out a nearby window.

She could see towering trees bending under the pressure of the winds. A sharp blast of cold wind burst through the crack under the closet door followed closely by a thunderous bang. The tornado had arrived. "Pretty much half the (horse) 1.