Tornadoes flatten homes as more storms threaten South, Midwest (VIDEO)
Residents look over the remains of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on March 1, 2012 in Ridgeway, Ill. The 110-year-old church was completely destroyed after it was struck by a tornado early Tuesday. According to reports, at least 13 people died as severe weather swept through the middle of the country on Tuesday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
More suspected tornadoes flattened homes and cut power to parts of Alabama, Indiana and Tennessee on Friday, two days after deadly storms killed 13 across the South and Midwest.
The latest reports from the Associated Press that at least three people have been killed by tornadoes ripping through the southern portion of the state were confirmed by Indiana Department of Homeland Security Spokesman John Erickson.
Tornado activity was reported across the midwest and south, with 19 separate tornado warnings issued in six states and "half a dozen reports of tornadoes," in Kentucky and the south, CNN said in a breaking news bulletin on its website. Emergency officials said at least two dozen people had been injured in the Chattanooga, Tenn., area, and homes had been torn to their foundations, CNN reported.
An apparent tornado touched down in Madison County, Ala., damaging homes and raining golf ball-sized hail on residents. Local schools were on lockdown as the storm passed, an emergency official told CNN.
The Louisville Courier-Journal reported "significant damage" at a school in one county.
Near Huntsville, Ala., at least five people were taken to area hospitals, Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press.
Some 30,000 to 35,000 people were without power, MSNBC reported.
“Temporary shelter is being set up,” Paige Colburn, emergency management officer at the Huntsville-Madison County Emergency Management Agency, told MSNBC. “The storm has passed the county, thank goodness, and we are now working on response/recovery, life-saving and property-saving procedures."
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In adjacent Limestone County, at least one apparent tornado was reported, Cindy Adams of the local sheriff's office told CNN. One suspected tornado touched down at least once before authorities could sound a warning siren, she said.
A corrections official told the AP a reported tornado hit the Limestone Correctional Facility. No one was injured, but the roof suffered damage and part of the perimeter fence had been knocked down.
Tornadoes were later reported in Indiana and Kentucky, with a sheriff's official in southern Indiana telling the AP that the town of Marysville was "completely gone."
The states were among many that forecasters warned may experience severe storms and twisters on Friday.
The strongest tornadoes were expected to hit southern Indiana, central Kentucky and northern-middle Tennessee later Friday, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
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The tornado outbreak that began Tuesday night left 13 dead across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee and battered parts of Kentucky as well. The latest death was reported in Kansas, where authorities said 53-year-old Richard Slade died Thursday from injuries suffered when a tornado struck Harveyville on Tuesday night, according to CNN.
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