May 8, 2009 1:46 pm US/Central
High Winds, Tornado Rip Through Southern Illinois
Winds Up To 100 m.p.h. Near Carbondale; Downed Trees, Home Damage Reported
ELKVILLE, Ill. (CBS) ―
A tornado was reported Friday afternoon in far southern Illinois, about 10 miles north of Carbondale, as part of a strong and dangerous storm system.
The tornado was reported by law enforcement in the town of Elkville, Ill., about 10 miles north of Carbondale, according to the National Weather Service.
Carbondale Township Fire Capt. Mark Black says trees are down and siding from homes is strewn everywhere. He says his firefighters are cutting trees out of the roadway so they can get their trucks out. Black says he's heard there are some injuries. He says some people abandoned their cars and sought shelter in the fire station.
Commencement at Southern Illinois University, which was scheduled for tonight, has been postponed. University officials will likely schedule the graduation for tomorrow.
Winds were reported near 100 mph in Carbondale just before 1:30 p.m., and at 80 mph nearby at the Williamson County Airport about 15 minutes later.
Jackson County emergency management official Derek Misener says he suspects that area may have had multiple tornadoes with "substantial countywide damage and injuries." He had no immediate reports of deaths.
A tornado warning was issued until 1:45 p.m. for parts of the downstate counties of Franklin, Perry, and Jackson.
A Carbondale resident reported Friday afternoon that strong winds were blasting through the area threatening to bring down trees. Air raid sirens were sounding, and power had gone out in some places, she said.
Nearby in eastern Missouri, two people were killed when a tree fell on their van along Highway 53 south of Poplar Bluff, according to KFVS-TV, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Some schools closed early as a result of power outages due to the storms.
Anyone within the warning area is advised to stay either in a basement or interior room on the lowest floor of a building, and away from windows.
This weather system is not expected to affect the Chicago area, where temperatures were 70 degrees and partly sunny as of early afternoon.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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