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Tornado rips through Springfield, Massachusetts - Source: US ABC
At least four people were killed when tornadoes and severe
storms tore through heavily populated western and central
Massachusetts on Wednesday, causing widespread damage in 19
communities.
The tornadoes caused widespread damage in the city, scattering
debris, toppling trees and frightening workers and residents before
racing east.
The storm hit just as workers were beginning to leave for the evening commute home, and one person was killed when their car was overturned.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of
emergency and authorized 1,000 National Guard troops to be called
up to provide support after at least two tornadoes touched
down.
"It is early going yet, so those are not final numbers, although we
are hoping and praying and working as hard as possible to keep the
fatalities limited to those four," Patrick told a news
conference.
Tornadoes are rare but not unheard of in the northeastern United
States.
Southeastern states, especially Alabama, were hit hard in April and
Joplin, Missouri, was devastated by a massive tornado last month
that killed 134 people.
In Massachusetts, the first tornado touched down at about 4:30 pm
local time in Springfield, the third largest city in the state,
said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather
Service.
Heavy winds churned the Connecticut River and the area was pounded
by hail and driving rain.
A second tornado hit Springfield, 90 miles (145 km) west of Boston,
at about 6:20 pm, authorities said. State police said at least 33
people were injured in Springfield.
Damage included "trees and numerous power lines down, roofs ripped
off of homes, things like cars and SUVs that have been toppled
over," said Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts
Emergency Management Agency.
The severe weather was the result of colder air clashing with a
warm, humid system that has produced some record temperatures for
early June through much of the mid-Atlantic states, meteorologists
said.
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