Severe forecasts continue as Ohio, Kansas clean up
DAYTON, Ohio — People from Kansas to Pennsylvania picked up the pieces from a swarm of tornadoes and braced for more violent weather Wednesday in a storm that’s seen a record number of twisters with no end in sight.
North Texas remained under a tornado watch until the evening, while the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning along the Oklahoma-Arkansas line as strong thunderstorms brought a new round of rain to eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas, where the Arkansas River is expected to crest at historic levels.
In the east, multiple tornado warnings were issued for New Jersey and Pennsylvania. At least three tornadoes were confirmed in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
In Kansas, the National Weather Service was still assessing the strength of a twister that injured at least 15 people Tuesday, three of them seriously, and damaged homes, trees and power lines in Douglas and Leavenworth counties in eastern Kansas.
“I’m just glad I found my two dogs alive,” said Mark Duffin, of Linwood, Kan. “Wife’s alive, family’s alive, I’m alive. So, that’s it.”
Duffin, 48, learned from his wife and a television report that the large tornado was headed toward his home about 30 miles west of Kansas City.
The next thing he knew, the walls of his house were coming down, he told the Kansas City Star.
Tuesday marked the 12th straight day that at least eight tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service. The previous record for consecutive days with that many tornadoes was an 11-day stretch in 1980. The weather service website showed at least 27 reports of tornadoes Tuesday, most in Kansas and Missouri but also in Pennsylvania and Illinois.
In Ohio, tens of thousands of Ohio residents were without power or water Wednesday in the aftermath of at least eight tornadoes that spun across the state Monday. One person was killed and more than 140 injured.
At least 60,000 people lacked water service in the Dayton area, where ice and water distribution centers were set up. A utility said power had been returned to some 35,000 customers Wednesday, but tens of thousands still were awaiting restoration.
Gov. Mike DeWine declared an emergency in three hardhit counties, allowing the state to bypass purchasing requirements to speed up delivery of essentials like water and generators.