USA: Fierce winds tear through southern U.S, ripping roofs off of buildings and tossing cars

Roofs and bricks stripped off of buildings littered parts of Louisiana and Arkansas. The violent gusts knocked out a power substation in Louisiana cutting off power to thousands. Police and rescue workers conducted door to door searches for unaccounted people. In Louisiana, residents armed with chainsaws began clearing paths obstructed by fallen trees. Damages to both areas are estimated to be in the millions. Severe weather also hit Colorado, where fierce winds and blowing snow were blamed for a 35-car pileup east of Denver early on Saturday, said Mindy Crane, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Crane said four or five minor injuries were reported. The storm forced the closure of a 150-mile (240-km) stretch of Interstate 70 east of Denver to the Kansas border, and it remained closed late on Saturday afternoon, Crane said. The storm was moving east and the National Weather Service said northern Illinois and northwest Indiana would be hit with a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow by Monday. Wisconsin will take the brunt of the storm, with a blizzard warning in effect for parts of the state, including Milwaukee, the Weather Service reported. Seven people in Wisconsin died from traffic accidents related to the storm, which is expected to drop 7 to 10 inches (18-25 cm) of snow on the state, the Milwaukee Journal reported. In the Chicago area, an ice storm warning was in effect until 6 a.m. CST on Sunday. Airports in the Chicago area prepared for the storm, canceling some 230 flights out of O'Hare International Airport and 70 flights at Midway Airport as of 7 p.m. CST on Saturday, said Wendy Abrams, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Aviation Department.

ITN Source | February 25, 2007

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