Tornadoes tear through multiple states as severe weather roils Midwest, Southeast

At least seven tornadoes broke out Wednesday night across the Midwest and Southeast, as severe weather descended on a large swath of the country, destroying homes and businesses in the process. 

According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado was reported near the small northeast Iowa community of Harpers Ferry at 5:10 p.m., while a second confirmed tornado rolled through Charleston in central Illinois at about 6:40 p.m. local time.

Both tornadoes were flagged by the weather service as a "particularly dangerous situation," a rare designation used by the weather service for environments in which "strong and violent tornadoes" are possible.

Photos and videos obtained by CBS News showed extensive damage to homes and buildings in Charleston, where a mess of downed trees and power lines covered the streets. 

A CBS News crew was on scene after a large tree crashed onto Gabe Sergenet's Charleston home. 

"I just felt the whole house shift,' Sergenet told CBS News.

Sergenet said he had his family shelter in the bathroom during the storm.

"My youngest son, and then my girlfriend on him, and then me on both of them, with pillows on top of us," Sergenet said.

Sergenet said his goal was to "protect them no matter what … I didn't matter. If I had to lift the whole tree off the house, I would have saved them. There's no question. That was all that matters. I didn't care about the belongings. I didn't care about anything. I would save them."

Emergency responders in the city could be heard in dispatch audio describing some of the treacherous scenarios they encountered, including multiple overturned semitrucks and a trailer that had been torn from its foundation, possibly with someone inside. 

Hail measuring between 2.75 and 3 inches was also reported in Charleston and surrounding parts of Illinois, where powerful winds at times climbed as high as 78 mph, according to the weather service.

The city of Charleston later declared a local state of emergency, advising locals to stay off roadways if possible because of the debris.

"There are a large number of trees blocking roadways throughout Charleston at this time," Charleston police said in a Facebook post. "Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not drive or attempt to go anywhere."

Tens of thousands of utility customers remained without power in Illinois on Thursday morning, according to the tracker PowerOutage.us.

One cellphone video captured the terrifying moments when what appeared to be a large tornado tore through Effingham, Illinois, located about 40 miles southwest of Charleston. Near Effingham, another tornado reported in Montrose injured two people, officials said, although the injuries were not considered life-threatening. 

Larry Thies, coordinator of the Emergency Management Agency for the city of Effingham, told CBS News there was no significant damage reported within the city itself. But areas north of it, such as Teutopolis, Dieterich, Shumway and Sigel, suffered widespread and, in some places, major damages, city officials said. 

Trevor Kreke of Effingham County posted a video that showed what appears to be a tornado hitting his home and tearing it to pieces.

"Oh my gosh, what in the world just happened?" Kreke asked in the video. 

Not much was left of the My Garage Museum, a popular Effingham County museum that houses collectible cars. 

"I had an employee call and say, it's just gone," museum operator Michael Yager told CBS News. "I said, 'What's gone?' She said, 'Well, everything is gone.'... My heart sunk. But first off, I'm just happy there was no staff out here. Business can come second, but people can't." 

The Effingham Fire Department said in a statement that it responded to "numerous storm-related emergencies" Wednesday night in Shumway and Sigel, including reports of collapsed buildings, heavily damaged homes, motor vehicle crashes and gas leaks, in addition to downed trees and power lines.

In one instance, the tornado lifted a vehicle off the ground and "violently hurled" it down a street, according to the city of Effingham. The driver of that car was taken to the hospital by a civilian. Fire officials said several people in their response areas were injured in the tornado, but they described those injuries as minor.

The Effingham County Emergency Management Agency said an "impactful tornado" traveled about 12-15 miles through the northern parts of the county, causing some injuries, but none of them serious. The agency said "there was also extensive damage to multiple residences, businesses, and farms."

The weather service also issued tornado warnings for Crawford, Wisconsin, and Allamakee, Iowa, and confirmed multiple tornadoes in far-southern Louisiana. A twister appeared to touch down near the University of New Orleans, too, while additional tornado sightings were reported in Alabama and Kentucky. 

In Avondale, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish spokeswoman Rachel Strassel told The Associated Press that a tornado destroyed four homes. 

Earlier Wednesday, CBS News senior meteorologist Rob Marciano reported that more than 125 million Americans were facing severe weather advisories, including the Gulf Coast states, which were under flood alerts due to Tropical Storm Arthur. Speaking on "CBS Evening News," Marciano said such ripe tornado conditions were rare for June.

"This is unique for June, this is unusual to have such a strong jet stream just screaming across the country, then you've got the summertime tropical moisture coming in … and then some cold air coming in," Marciano said. "And winds coming at different direction, at different levels, creating that spin. So what that equates to is really the high probability of seeing, not just tornadoes, but intense tornadoes of EF2 strength or higher on the ground for a long time. And also damaging winds at 75 mph or higher, and of course big time hail."