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Choleric · 06-11-2008, 10:51 PM

Official: 4 dead after twister tears through Scout camp

(CNN) -- At least four people were killed and another 20 injured Wednesday when a tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, a state safety official said.

Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Meyer said the four were killed by a storm that slammed into the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near the Nebraska state line.

Meyer said about 120 people, including 93 campers, were believed to be at the camp at the time of the storm.

Lloyd Roitstein, president of the Boy Scouts of Mid-America Council, said the Scouts at the ranch were advanced Scouts between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training.

He said they were staying in tents and that the site is destroyed.

"All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone; most of the trees are destroyed," Roitstein said. "You've got 1,800 acres of property that are destroyed right now."

The ranch, which has four cabin shelters in addition to camping space, is about 45 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska, and 45 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa. Watch Roitstein talk about the camp search and rescue »

The National Weather Service was referring to the event as a tornado by late Wednesday. It said it received a report of a touchdown at 7:35 p.m.

Officials at Burgess Memorial Hospital, about 20 miles from the ranch, said they had treated several patients injured by the storm Wednesday night and that injuries ranged from minor to serious.

A spokesman for Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City said two children had arrived at the hospital by helicopter.

"These are traumatic injuries," said spokesman Mike Krysl, who said the regional trauma center is "in disaster mode."

The twister struck as Iowa, like other Midwestern states, was dealing with severe flooding along the upper Mississippi River.

Heavy downpours hit the region over the weekend, with more thunderstorms predicted for Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Flooding in the capital city of Des Moines and in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and other areas prompted mandatory evacuation orders and sandbagging in the state on Wednesday.

Tornado warnings were issued in areas stretching from Kansas to Minnesota.

This was at a summer camp that I frequented when I was younger when in the boy scouts, scary stuff. Just north of my hometown of Omaha, Ne.

06-11-2008, 10:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
Choleric Justice Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Great Plains Posts: 3,400 My Mood: Thanks: 564 Thanked 1,130 Times in 613 Posts	Re: Largest Tornado in US History Official: 4 dead after twister tears through Scout camp (CNN) -- At least four people were killed and another 20 injured Wednesday when a tornado struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, a state safety official said. Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Gene Meyer said the four were killed by a storm that slammed into the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near the Nebraska state line. Meyer said about 120 people, including 93 campers, were believed to be at the camp at the time of the storm. Lloyd Roitstein, president of the Boy Scouts of Mid-America Council, said the Scouts at the ranch were advanced Scouts between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training. He said they were staying in tents and that the site is destroyed. "All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone; most of the trees are destroyed," Roitstein said. "You've got 1,800 acres of property that are destroyed right now." The ranch, which has four cabin shelters in addition to camping space, is about 45 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska, and 45 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa. Watch Roitstein talk about the camp search and rescue » The National Weather Service was referring to the event as a tornado by late Wednesday. It said it received a report of a touchdown at 7:35 p.m. Officials at Burgess Memorial Hospital, about 20 miles from the ranch, said they had treated several patients injured by the storm Wednesday night and that injuries ranged from minor to serious. A spokesman for Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City said two children had arrived at the hospital by helicopter. "These are traumatic injuries," said spokesman Mike Krysl, who said the regional trauma center is "in disaster mode." The twister struck as Iowa, like other Midwestern states, was dealing with severe flooding along the upper Mississippi River. Heavy downpours hit the region over the weekend, with more thunderstorms predicted for Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Flooding in the capital city of Des Moines and in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and other areas prompted mandatory evacuation orders and sandbagging in the state on Wednesday. Tornado warnings were issued in areas stretching from Kansas to Minnesota. This was at a summer camp that I frequented when I was younger when in the boy scouts, scary stuff. Just north of my hometown of Omaha, Ne.