Deadly Storms Sweep Midwest

A series of tornadoes pummeled Kansas and Missouri on Sunday, killing an estimated 26 people as storms left a swath of destruction a quarter-mile wide in some places.

In Missouri, Lawrence County Sheriff Doug Seneker estimated a dozen people were killed when a tornado careened through the southwest part of the state. A Pierce City police officer described the downtown area as "wiped out," Seneker said.

Two women were reported dead in nearby Greene and Christian counties, said Dave Brown, an investigator for the Greene County Medical Examiner's Office. One of the women was killed near Battlefield in Christian County and the other in rural Greene County.

Two more people were killed in Camden County, about 70 miles northeast of Lawrence County, the Camden County Sheriff's Department said. One person died in Tennessee's Dyer County.

In Kansas, Col. Joy Moser of the state's emergency management office, said her agency confirmed four deaths in Girard and Franklin in Crawford County and one in Wyandotte County in the Kansas City area.

Kansas 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.

Missouri officials told the National Guard to be ready to go to storm-damaged areas. Holden said the damage was "the worst I've seen from a tornado in several years."

At Kansas City, Mo. International Airport, officials stopped all flights and evacuated the terminals. Passengers were ushered into underground tunnels leading to parking garages. After about 30 minutes, the passengers were allowed to leave and the airport was reopened.

Officials at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., said they treated 22 people injured by the tornado, but most were released after suffering minor cuts and bruises.

Holden toured Northmoor, a small town in Platte County, Mo., where between 25 and 30 homes were either damaged or destroyed. The town's city hall and police station also were damaged.

"I had to hold on with all my strength," said resident Charles Tholl, who was with his girlfriend and five children when the storm hit. "It was scary. It felt like the house was twirling."

The tornadoes were part of a large storm system that hit the Midwest, spawning twisters in South Dakota and Nebraska as well.

Cars and trucks were tossed into a ravine full of splintered trees in Kansas City, Kan., and several houses were knocked off their foundations.

Jodee Nirschl, whose house is directly across from the ravine, said windows were blown out and a chunk of the second floor was missing.

"My daughter's room is gone, but she's OK," Nirschl said, her voice breaking and tears coming to her eyes. "As long as I have my kids and my husband, I'll be OK."

Officials at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., said they treated 22 people injured by the tornado, but most were released after suffering minor cuts and bruises.

The largest tornado first touched down west of Bonner Springs in Leavenworth County, Kan., 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 along the way 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, Mo., northeast of Kansas City, meteorologist Lisa Schmit said.

The storm tore a wide swath through Gladstone, Mo., damaging roofs and shattering windows.

Stoplights at intersections weren't working in many places because of a power outage, causing confusion among motorists and considerable congestion. At some intersections, law officers were directing traffic to keep vehicles moving.

Pam Rogers of Gladstone returned home from shopping just before the tornado struck. She said she heard about the storm warning on her car radio and cut her shopping trip short to race home.

"We're all safe. We heard it and we sure felt it," said Rogers, whose family was in the basement when the storm hit. "We heard something coming and it was just like they say, like a train is going through your house."

Storms earlier unleashed tornadoes in Nebraska, dumping rain and some hail over most of the drought-parched state. South Dakota authorities also reported tornadoes.

"We got smacked," said Herb Johnston, who lives east of Minatare, Neb. "We lost a shed and windows in the house, and I think we've got half the cornfield in the house now."

By David Scott