Tornadoes kill at least three people and leave trails of destruction across the central US

Thursday night’s storms left trails of destruction in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.

Lakeview, OH: Blaine Schmidt sifted through the broken glass and splintered wood in his Ohio home on Friday, rescuing a guitar and a bundle of diapers.

His couch and a crib were torn apart by one of the many tornadoes that ripped through the central U.S., killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others. The storm tore open his living room, but at least the house was still standing. The neighbor was razed to the ground.

“I’m lucky to be alive,” Schmidt said hours after he and his roommate took shelter in a bathtub, using the shower curtain to protect them from flying window glass.

Thursday night’s storms left trails of destruction in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. In one Indiana community, about 40 people were injured and dozens of homes were damaged. Tornadoes were also suspected in Illinois and Missouri.

The Indian Lake area in Ohio’s Logan County appeared to be the hardest hit. At least three people have died in the county northwest of Columbus, Sheriff Randy Dodds said.

Search crews and cadaver dogs looked for more victims Friday, heading into neighborhoods blocked overnight by gas leaks and fallen trees, Dodds said.

“It’s going to take a long time,” he said, adding that he didn’t know anyone was missing. Much of the damage occurred in the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, which are dotted with summer cottages owned by people who come to fish and boat.

In Lakeview, Sandy Smith took shelter in a laundry room with her family after hearing the storm sirens. Seconds later they heard debris hitting the house. Her husband saw the garage blown away.

She went upstairs to rescue their cat who was stuck under a bookshelf. As soon as she came back down, the roof collapsed.

“We’re just blessed to be alive,” she said.

A campsite, an RV park and a laundrette were among the many damaged businesses. The storm caused fires in some places and tore power lines through the windows of homes, said Amber Fagan, president of the local chamber of commerce.

About 25 people were treated for mostly broken bones and internal injuries at the nearest hospital in Bellefontaine, said Laura Miller, a spokesperson for Mary Rutan Hospital.

About a half-dozen Lakeview residents interviewed by The Associated Press said they heard tornado sirens 10 minutes before the storm hit, after leaving earlier.

Weather officials were just beginning to confirm the tornadoes, but across the region, residents across the region captured the funnels on video in awe.

In Indiana, a tornado injured 38 people in Winchester. Three of them were in critical condition, but their injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.

Residents of the city northeast of Indianapolis picked tree branches and sheet metal from their yards. Shingles littered the streets and fields.

Carey Todd, 55, said the tornado looked like a “bunch of black birds.”

Opposite a church that was being destroyed, a hymnal was open with number No. 118, “Shelter in Time of Storm.”

The storm damaged or destroyed about 130 homes and a Taco Bell restaurant, Mayor Bob McCoy said. He and his wife were crouching in a closet when the twister struck.

“I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again,” McCoy said.

West of Winchester, officials said as many as half of the buildings in the town of Selma, population 750, may have been damaged. Only minor injuries were reported, emergency officials said in a news release.

Gov. Eric Holcomb praised Indiana’s first responders, saying, “By the grace of God, everyone went through all of this.”

Storms also damaged homes and trailers in the Ohio River communities of Hanover and Lamb, Indiana.

In Milton, Kentucky, two people were injured when their car was struck by debris from a tornado that damaged as many as 100 homes and businesses, said Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark.

In Arkansas, a likely tornado struck the retirement community of Hot Springs Village, southwest of Little Rock, but there were no reports of fatalities or injuries, National Weather Service meteorologist Erik Green said.

There were also reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois.