Tornadoes Kill 4 People In 3 States

(CBS/AP)  A massive spring storm spawned dozens of tornadoes from the Rockies to the Plains, killing at least four people in three states, including a woman who was flung into a tree by a twister as wide as two football fields.

Sixty-five tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. By early Thursday, the storm system stretched from South Dakota to Texas.

In Holly, Colo., eleven people were injured and one died, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan. A 29-year-old woman was thrown from her mobile home into a tree. While her husband and three-year-old daughter miraculously survived the devastation, Rosemary Puga died hours later at a hospital.

In Oklahoma, a twister killed a couple as it blew their home to pieces. In Texas, a man was found dead in the tangled debris of his trailer.

At least seven other people were hurt when the tornado skipped for a mile-and-a-half through Holly and surrounding areas.

"All they heard was this big ugly noise, and they didn't have no time to run," said Victoria Rosales, the victim's sister. She said the woman and her husband, Gustavo Puga, were in the kitchen and their 3-year-old daughter, Noelia, was sleeping in a front room when the tornado hit.

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See a twister touching down in Silverton, Texas

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Puga was holding onto the little girl when rescuers found them, said his brother, Oscar Puga. The two were in fair condition Thursday at a Colorado Springs hospital.

As residents sifted through their scattered belongings, the streets were littered with utility poles, power lines, tree limbs and debris. One woman whose house was destroyed wept as she searched for a wedding ring.

"Homes were there and now they're gone," Prowers County Administrator Linda Fairbairn said. "Many, if not all, the structures in town suffered some degree of damage."

At least 11 tornadoes were reported throughout western Nebraska, destroying or damaging three homes and at least 10 miles of power lines. Two twisters touched down in far northwest Kansas, severely damaging three homes, authorities said.

In Oklahoma, Vance and Barbra Woodbury were killed when the storm blew apart their home near the Panhandle community of Elmwood.

"We set off the tornado sirens, but they live too far out to hear them," said Dixie Parker, Beaver County's emergency management director. "The house was just flattened, the out buildings are gone. All that's left is debris."

Warning sirens went off in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon, but authorities could not immediately confirm whether a tornado had touched down. There were reports of minor damage but no injuries.

Tornadoes in the Texas Panhandle uprooted trees, overturned trucks and injured at least three people. The region also got baseball-sized hail.

Monte Ford, 53, was killed near Amarillo when he was thrown about 15 feet from his oilfield trailer, which was rolled by the wind.

The Colorado tornado killed dozens of cattle and injured others so severely they have to be shot.

"It's better than letting them suffer," said rancher Bill Lowe, who had about 800 cattle in his feedlot when the tornado hit. He lost at least 35 animals in the storm.

Just three months ago, back-to-back blizzards and subzero temperatures killed more than 10,000 livestock on farms across southeastern Colorado.

Neighbors and residents from surrounding towns comforted each other Thursday as they began cleaning up.

"They're mostly hugging one another, asking, 'Is your house standing, is your family OK?"' said Betty Vipman, who manages JR's Country Store and Video.

The same storm system dumped snow on Wyoming, causing highway pileups and closing large portions of three interstates. In the Wind River Mountains, 58 inches of snow had fallen by Thursday morning.

At least 800 homes in north-central Wyoming were without heat and electricity Thursday, down from about 2,200 the day before.

[kailumego1]

The theory of evolution and creation [intelligent design] are not only as different as night and day, but they address entirely different concepts.

The theory of evolution does not address the origins or creation of life, but how it changes, alters, or mutates depending upon environmental pressures in order to survive.

Unlike creation [intelligent design] addresses the origins of life, the earth and the universe.

Two entirely different concepts covering different agendas.

I don't know why those favoring the evolutionary theory juxtapose it with creationism, when they address different agendas.

[dog-x8]

Ya know, Jesus was a Jew. So I guess that makes me Jewish too. Wow, I always thought I was just a Baptist!!

[randalds]

Posted by me4prezz at 06:32 PM : Mar 29, 2007

I for one don't criticize people of faith and I'm happy that it makes you happy. The only problem I have is with people like singingrick who prosthletize here and try to force their faith on others by trying to force intelligent design to be taught as science and to throw out evolution, etc. They give all people of faith a bad name.

[me4prezz]

That is a great line me4prezz. The bible is one great fairy tale. But if that is the crutch you need or you need to be told how to live a moral life more power to ya. We're all Jews. If you believe that stuff.
Posted by superchez1 at 05:22 PM : Mar 29, 2007

If you choose to have no faith, that is your decision, but PLEASE (I am saying that only once) do not criticize my faith or choice of religion merely because you do not choose to believe it. I am not forcing anyone to have the same faith, so leave the sarcastic comments out of it. And, by the way, my uncle and cousins are Jewish and lost several family members in the holocaust, so think twice before you start on that subject as well.

[me4prezz]

Colossians 2:8

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition rather than on Christ".

Now, there is one that we could all follow. Human tradition and beliefs are different than a faith in the Holy Trinity. Humans have free will to act and behave as they will, whether it is want God wants us to or not and the weather is a natural occurrence outside of anyone's scope. God created Earth and all of its wonders, but just as we create things, they don't always do as we like. That is just life. Politics has nothing to do with natural disasters. Again, I pray for those who were injured, killed, or lost their homes in those storms.

I have grown up around tornado producing storms my whole life and have lived through them. They are a wonderful example of how awesome and how superior Mother Nature is to ourselves, but also a reminder of how dangerous she can turn.

[r9119111]

Doesn't anybody proofread his/her submissions? Sheesh -- the spelling and grammar hurt my eyes! Posted by kkcbs at 01:30 PM : Mar 29, 2007

Be ralectiic and realex kkcbs. Not erevyone is as birllanit as you, but, tehy are stlil eitnletd to eprxses teihr onipoins in a fere sioctey.

[mainemade]

I will stay right here in Maine. Give me ice storms, Nor'eaters and the rare mild hurricane (which here are nothing more than a nor'easter with rain instead of snow), any day of the week over tornados, earthquakes or gulf hurricanes.
Dont get me wrong, the entire country we live in is beautiful. I will just stay in the North East and wait for the oceans to rise with global warming before i move north with the coastline...

[mitch0927]

For all those critics out there and all those so called political geniuses who seem to have an answer for everything. Here in Oklahoma, we take pride in our country and know what we are up against when sever weather threatens us; we do take cover when we know its coming. Last night before going to bed I took a peek at the weather and the local weathermen said we need to be aware of the danger of the storm headed our way. Of course, like anywhere, things can change in an instant, as with this particular storm. It was supposed to track mainly north with very little eastern movement, that wasn%u2019t the case, and the poor souls that lost their lives were probably thinking the same thing; that it was going to track more north than east.

So, you people out there, get off of your butts and quit thinking there needs to be someone blamed for everything that happens in the world.

[ugnewsud]

Wake up America! Suffering is a part of life. We Americans look through rose colored glasses beilieving lies which say we should not suffer and that the important things in life are comfort, convenience, cleanliness and being in control. So when some catastrophe happens we have to cast blame. Shame on us! What is reality?! The rest of the world knows the that life means suffering. What is really important?! When we are suffering, we find the most important things in life are family, friends and community near and far who pray and walk with us through our suffering. Let's stop blaming nature, God and man. Let's stop now and pray for those who are suffering and those who can lend a hand to comfort. Let's pray for those who are grieving lost loved ones and homes. Let's pray for kings, rulers and presidents to help us to live peaceful lives showing compassion and mercy as God is a God of compassion and mercy in a suffering world. Let's hate our own inner voices that want to blame and war with others even if only in a blog.

[kkcbs]

Doesn't anybody proofread his/her submissions? Sheesh -- the spelling and grammar hurt my eyes!