Posted on 05/25/2008 4:13:37 PM PDT by janetjanet998
Details sketchy but massive tornadoes have it towns in IA this are reports from scanners and spotters..no link yet
also north suburbs of Min-ST paul MN has taken tornado hits with lots of damage
MN MIN| Washington County (Hugo)| Search & Rescue| | US-61 IAO 159th St|U/D: MSP on Fenway St w/2 kids full code, many other reports of entrapment, 5 city blocks wiped out| ILL113| 17:26
MIN| Washington County (Hugo)| Search & Rescue| | 170th St @ Manning Trail|Multiple houses struck by tornado, searches in progress, FD O/S| ILL113| 17:10 QUOTE
MIN| Washington County (Hugo)| Search & Rescue| | US-61 IAO 159th St|Many houses struck by tornado, multiple entrapments & injuries, FD O/S| ILL113| 17:11 QUOTE
MIN| Washington County (Hugo)| Search & Rescue| | US-61 IAO 159th St|U/D: FD requesting as many squads as possible, reports area is demolished
1/2 MILE WIDE TORNADO REPORTED JUST 1 MILE WEST OF FAIRBANK, IA. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE ON STANDBY FOR CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE.
-*URGENT* A STATE OF EMERGENCY EXISTS IN PARKERSBURG, IA *URGENT*
-*URGENT* CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE IN NORTHERN DUNKERTON, IA *URGENT*
AT 5:44 PM CDT, A MAJORITY OF THE TOWN OF PARKERSBURG, IA HAS SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ACCORDING TO STORM SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
the thread must have been deleted
This links to all NWS warnings. Text-only page--click refresh for fast updates as page does not reset automatically
Reports of mobile homes lying in fields near Hazelton, IA. Also news crew has arrived in Parkersburg, but is walking into town...unable to take the news vehicle into the City.
“How strange...yesterday’s “Breaking News” postings of tornadoes in OK were quickly moved to chat. We were told that FR isn’t the Weather Channel by one of the Mods. Now, all pings to that particular thread are gone.”
We can all learn from our mistakes. My compliments to the moderator who has allowed TODAY’s tornado thread to remain in Breaking News.
Yep, the Tornado thread from yesterday has been completely deleted from FR. Too embarrassing for the moderators, I would guess.
For those who missed it yesterday: There was a weather event in Okaloma where multiple tornados were on the ground. Someone immediately started a FR thread (under breaking news) when CNN starting showing a live feed from a helicoptor from a TV station in Hennesey Oklahoma (news9.com).
A huge low-lying black cloud spawned about 11 funnels which touched the ground, over a 3-hour period. The photographs were amazing and the thread had over 400 posts. We were really having a great discussion over the efforts of the “storm trackers” and the helicoptor crew, and the local TV feed. Fox and CNN carried it for about an hour — then they left it — but the event went on for 2 more hours.
Anyway, one of the Freepers noticed that the moderator moved the thread from Breaking News to General/Chat. And we got off into a discussion that many of us didn’t undrestand the guidelines the mods used. And that if a thread on real-time forming tornados wasn’t breaking news, what is? And the moderator got all huffy and said tornado events didn’t last over an hour and it wasn’t life threatening because the tornados were over farmland. And that weather threads should be under general chat/weather, and many of us disagreed. And others chimed in, saying they had gotten sick to death of the threads of the California wildfires, which were always posted in Breaking News.
It went from bad to worse. I myself tried to explain why I thought the thread should have remained in breaking news so that when people clicked into Free Republic, they would immediately see that the tornado event was going on. And as it was, it was stuck over in “chat” and many people were going to miss the fantastic live video coverage. The moderator said that wasn’t the purpose of Free Republic, to guide people to watch live videos. The moderator said to me that I probably was disappointed there weren’t any casualties from the tornados. I thought that was a bit harsh, to accuse me of that — I hadn’t said anything along those lines.
Anyhow, the management must have felt embarrassed, etc., by the pettiness, silliness, stupidity of the moderator(s). The thread was so mishandled that, at some point, the moderator COMPLETELY deleted a thread of over 400 comments.
Prayers for all living in the affected areas...
That’s some ugly radar.
A line of nasty storms is popping up in West Texas. My husband is boarding a flight as we speak from Dallas to Seattle. If they don’t boogie out of there soon, they won’t be able to get through.
That’s too bad that the thread got removed. It was such amazing video!
http://www.startribune.com/local/19246464.html?location_refer=Homepage
snippet:
Anoka County officials reported receiving more than 100 calls about fallen tree limbs that damaged homes and injured people in Blaine and Coon Rapids, where a tornado apparently touched down. . . .
Hanson said there are many reports of tree limbs blocking roads and homes missing roofs.
Live streaming coverage of Iowa: http://www.kcrg.com/
My parents live between Cedar Falls and New Hartford, IA (directly east of Parkersburg). They weren’t home; they were in CF at the time. They tried to drive home but the roads are closed; the neighbors say they still have a house.
Paper & personal effects from near Strawberry Point, Iowa falling from the sky in Prairie Du Chien Wisconsin...
Prayers for EVERY ONE of your states with these storms. I can't fathom 5 city blocks...wiped out....
TV reporting 6 ambulances in Parkersburg, IA....numerous injuries.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS is getting hit also
One tornado touched down in Perry Co IL near Willisville
another has just been spotted near Murphysboro IL in Jackson CO
This is the same slow moving cell traveling east from Southwestern IL to Southeastern IL
Didn't want it on the record that one of the mods told a poster to "bite me"
Got too see one this afternoon at Stinnett TX........ So far it’s bad north of us and coming up fast from the SW.......long night of weather chasing ahead of us !!
You Stay safe too !
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
2255 WILLISVILLE PERRY CO IL 3798 8959 PICKNEYVILLE FIRE DEPT REPORTED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR WILLISVILLE (PAH)
2346 6 NW MURPHYSBORO JACKSON CO IL 3783 8941 TORNADO ON THE GROUND (PAH)
Parkersburg, IA: Many houses completely destroyed....numerous trees down, powerlines....lots of ambulances in town...
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