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| Missouri Tornadoes: Live Updates as Violent Storms Kill 3 | Missouri Tornadoes: Live Updates as Violent Storms Kill 3 |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A powerful tornado, part of a band of storms that raged through the Plains and the Midwest, struck the Missouri capital late Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses, felling power poles and sparking a vast emergency response as officials faced reports of trapped people and unstable buildings. | A powerful tornado, part of a band of storms that raged through the Plains and the Midwest, struck the Missouri capital late Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses, felling power poles and sparking a vast emergency response as officials faced reports of trapped people and unstable buildings. |
| The full scale of the devastation was not immediately clear, but the Missouri Department of Public Safety said the damage in part of Jefferson City, the capital, was “extensive.” Shelters opened, and state troopers and local emergency officials were going door-to-door searching for survivors on Thursday morning. | The full scale of the devastation was not immediately clear, but the Missouri Department of Public Safety said the damage in part of Jefferson City, the capital, was “extensive.” Shelters opened, and state troopers and local emergency officials were going door-to-door searching for survivors on Thursday morning. |
| Officials said that roughly three square miles had been especially hard hit, and that flying trees and debris were responsible for some of the at least 20 injuries that had been tallied in the capital. | Officials said that roughly three square miles had been especially hard hit, and that flying trees and debris were responsible for some of the at least 20 injuries that had been tallied in the capital. |
| Mike O’Connell, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said “scores of houses and buildings have been extensively damaged.” Officials also came across a Jefferson City car dealership where dozens of cars had been tossed around and flipped over, he said. | Mike O’Connell, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said “scores of houses and buildings have been extensively damaged.” Officials also came across a Jefferson City car dealership where dozens of cars had been tossed around and flipped over, he said. |
| Because of debris littering streets and concern that some buildings were in danger of collapse, Mr. O’Connell said nonessential state employees had been asked to stay home on Thursday. | Because of debris littering streets and concern that some buildings were in danger of collapse, Mr. O’Connell said nonessential state employees had been asked to stay home on Thursday. |
| At least three people were killed in a separate tornado in Golden City, Mo., which is about a two-hour drive southeast of the Kansas City area. In addition to Jefferson City and Golden City, the governor’s office said the hardest-hit areas appeared to be Carl Junction and Eldon. | At least three people were killed in a separate tornado in Golden City, Mo., which is about a two-hour drive southeast of the Kansas City area. In addition to Jefferson City and Golden City, the governor’s office said the hardest-hit areas appeared to be Carl Junction and Eldon. |
| “We are very thankful we didn’t have any more fatalities than we did,” Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri said Thursday. “But three is too many.” | “We are very thankful we didn’t have any more fatalities than we did,” Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri said Thursday. “But three is too many.” |
| Mr. Parson, who spoke to reporters in Jefferson City, warned that the death toll could rise. | Mr. Parson, who spoke to reporters in Jefferson City, warned that the death toll could rise. |
| “We’re just getting to daylight,” he said. | “We’re just getting to daylight,” he said. |
| Golden City and Carl Junction are in the southwest corner of the state, near Joplin. The storms on Wednesday hit on the eighth anniversary of a tornado that killed 161 people in Joplin, one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in American history. | Golden City and Carl Junction are in the southwest corner of the state, near Joplin. The storms on Wednesday hit on the eighth anniversary of a tornado that killed 161 people in Joplin, one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in American history. |
| [Go inside one of the specialized search-and-rescue task forces that emergency officials can deploy across America.] | [Go inside one of the specialized search-and-rescue task forces that emergency officials can deploy across America.] |
| Carl Junction, a town of 7,300 people, has been hit before, too. On May 4, 2003, a tornado swept through the center of the town, damaging schools, City Hall, dozens of homes and a few businesses. That storm was part of a multistate tornado outbreak that also wrecked much of the Missouri cities of Pierce City and Stockton. | |
| Wednesday’s tornado hit the Briarbrook section of Carl Junction, a more affluent part of town, built around the Briarbrook Country Club and Golf Course. | |
| The tornadoes in Missouri were among the most violent bursts of severe weather in a week when forecasters feared life-threatening storms. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., had issued a “high” risk outlook for Oklahoma and Texas on Monday, an unusually grave indication of worrisome conditions. | The tornadoes in Missouri were among the most violent bursts of severe weather in a week when forecasters feared life-threatening storms. The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., had issued a “high” risk outlook for Oklahoma and Texas on Monday, an unusually grave indication of worrisome conditions. |
| Although some tornadoes formed on Monday, the worst of the week’s weather seemed to be unleashed Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday. | Although some tornadoes formed on Monday, the worst of the week’s weather seemed to be unleashed Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday. |
| Tornado sirens went off in Jefferson City after 11 p.m. on Wednesday. “Violent tornado confirmed — shelter now!” the National Weather Service office in St. Louis warned the city’s 40,000 residents. | Tornado sirens went off in Jefferson City after 11 p.m. on Wednesday. “Violent tornado confirmed — shelter now!” the National Weather Service office in St. Louis warned the city’s 40,000 residents. |
| Not long after the storm had roared through Jefferson City, parts of the capital were cloaked in darkness, with the only illumination coming from police lights and cellphones. | Not long after the storm had roared through Jefferson City, parts of the capital were cloaked in darkness, with the only illumination coming from police lights and cellphones. |
| Police officers blocked streets, including access to an apartment complex that the authorities feared was unstable. | Police officers blocked streets, including access to an apartment complex that the authorities feared was unstable. |
| The Storm Prediction Center said there was an “enhanced” risk for parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Forecasters also placed parts of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia on the same alert level. | The Storm Prediction Center said there was an “enhanced” risk for parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Forecasters also placed parts of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia on the same alert level. |
| Although meteorologists have refined tornado forecasting to the point of extraordinary precision, the storms can still strike with little notice. The National Weather Service issues tornado warnings if a tornado is spotted visually or on radar, and it broadcasts those warnings through local news outlets, weather radios and the internet, including the @NWSTornado Twitter page. Do not rely on community tornado sirens, which may malfunction or be too far away to be audible. | Although meteorologists have refined tornado forecasting to the point of extraordinary precision, the storms can still strike with little notice. The National Weather Service issues tornado warnings if a tornado is spotted visually or on radar, and it broadcasts those warnings through local news outlets, weather radios and the internet, including the @NWSTornado Twitter page. Do not rely on community tornado sirens, which may malfunction or be too far away to be audible. |
| Take cover, preferably in a basement or in an interior room without windows. | Take cover, preferably in a basement or in an interior room without windows. |
| If you are driving and cannot reach a sturdy building, try to find shelter in a low-lying area. | If you are driving and cannot reach a sturdy building, try to find shelter in a low-lying area. |
| Cover your head. Television forecasters often recommend bicycle helmets. | Cover your head. Television forecasters often recommend bicycle helmets. |
| If there is damage after a storm, try to wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Avoid downed power lines. | If there is damage after a storm, try to wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Avoid downed power lines. |
| John Hacker, Timothy Williams, Austin Ramzy and Sarah Mervosh contributed reporting. |