Three people were killed and more than 20 injured in an “extremely dangerous” storm that sent tornadoes ripping across Missouri late Wednesday.
Though much of the damage from the powerful tornado hit the state’s capital of Jefferson City, the three fatalities were reported in the small town of Golden City about 170 miles away, Gov. Mike Parson said at a press conference.
“Unfortunately, we’re still assessing damage this morning,” he said. “Those are the only three we know at this time. As far as I know, there’s nobody missing [across the state], which is a good sign, [but] there’s gonna be multiple injuries. You got 20 right here in Jefferson City.”
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Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said at the same press conference that a three-mile-square in the capital city had received the brunt of the damage from the storm, and that emergency sirens were first activated at 11:10 p.m. local time on Wednesday night.
According to Parson, many of the state facilities in Jefferson City were damaged.
The Jefferson City Fire Department wrote onFacebookearly Thursday morning it had called back all firefighters to begin rescue operations.
Though no people have been reported missing so far, Williams said authorities would be going door-to-door in affected areas to ensure all residents are accounted for.
The National Weather Service hadrepeatedly encouragedall residents to seek shelter as “violent” tornadoes headed their way.
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“It sounds as if the injuries have been few, which is truly amazing considering the extent of the damage,” Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin toldCNN.
According to the National Weather Service, at least 29 tornadoes have been reported over the past 24 hours, with debris being sent as high as 13,000 feet into the air.
source: people.com
