Page 5 - aruba-today-20170308

U.S. NEWS A5
Wednesday 8 March 2017

Wildfires in 4 states kill 6, force thousands from homes

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes structures were damaged, The largest evacuations
bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shay- said Allison Kuhns, a spokes- elsewhere were in Reno
lor and Linda Nimmo, inside an evacuation center at the Kan- woman for the county’s County, Kansas, where
sas State Fairgounds as a grassfire continues to rage north of emergency management 10,000 to 12,000 people
Hutchinson, Kan. office. About half of those voluntarily left their homes
structures are near the Monday night, said Katie
(Katy Kildee/The Hutchinson News via AP) small city of Englewood, Horner, a spokeswoman for
which was one of two com- the state’s Department of
ROXANA HEGEMAN according to the National munities evacuated. Kuhns Emergency Management.
Associated Press Weather Service. said there also have been She said 66 people from
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Kansas wildfires have significant cattle losses and the area were in shelters
Emergency crews struggled burned about 625 square that entire ranches were Tuesday in Hutchinson, 40
Tuesday to contain wildfires miles of land and killed one engulfed. miles northwest of Wichita.
that have scorched hun- person. The Kansas High- That fire originated across Among them was Shelley
dreds of square miles of way Patrol said Corey Holt, the state border in Okla- Wilson, who fled Monday
land in four states, killing six of Oklahoma City, died homa, where it burned with her disabled son and
people and forcing thou- Monday when his tractor- an estimated 390 square pets from a blaze that was
sands of others to flee their trailer jackknifed as he tried miles in Beaver County. Of- encircling her farm outside
homes ahead of the wind- to back up because of ficials say a separate fire of Hutchinson. She returned
whipped flames. poor visibility on southern has scorched more than later that night with her
Fires burned in parts of Kan- Kansas highway, and he 155 square miles of land in adult daughter to retrieve
sas, Oklahoma, Texas and succumbed to smoke after neighboring Harper Coun- her tractor. “I don’t know if
Colorado, and warnings getting out of his vehicle. ty and taken the life of a I have a home to go home
that conditions were ripe Two SUVs crashed into the woman who had a heart to,” Wilson said at the shel-
were issued for Iowa, Mis- truck, injuring six people attack while trying to keep ter Tuesday as her daugh-
souri and Nebraska, even who were taken to hospi- her farm near Buffalo from ter did her best to lighten
after powerful thunder- tals, state trooper Michael burning. her mood. q
storms moved through the Racy said.
middle of the country over- The vast majority of the
night, spawning dozens state’s burned land is in
of suspected tornadoes, Clark County, where 30

Hundreds of homes damaged in
tornado-laden Midwest storms

M. STAFFORD Despite the destruction,
Associated Press Swartz said he and his wife
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — felt blessed by God be-
Mark and Jennifer Swartz cause they were eating
moved into their first home dinner at a restaurant Mon-
in November. On Tuesday, day night when the storm
only a section of floor was hit.
left of their three-bedroom, Their home had no base-
two-bath home in Oak ment, so they would have
Grove, Missouri, after a had nowhere to hide.
storm system that dropped “If we’d been here, we’d
more than 30 tornadoes be dead,” he said, add-
across the Midwest tore it ing, “We’ll try to pick up the
apart. pieces and move on.”
“It’s all we got left, just a The Storm Prediction Cen-
slab,” Swartz said as he sur- ter in Norman, Oklahoma,
veyed the damage to his said dozens of tornadoes
home in the town about 25 struck overnight in Missouri,
miles east of Kansas City, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois.
Missouri. “Right now, I’m in The National Weather Ser-
total shock. We’re blown vice was assessing the ex-
away, figuratively and liter- act number and strength
ally.” of twisters Tuesday.q