Monday, May 11, 2015

Couple died shielding their daughter from Tornado

The Latest on severe weather: Couple died shielding daughter

By Associated Press May 11 at 5:44 PM

4:30 p.m.
Authorities say an Arkansas couple killed in a tornado died while trying to protect their young daughter from the storm.
Howard County Coroner John Gray said Michael and Melissa Mooneyhan were attempting to shield their daughter when the family’s trailer flipped over and “exploded” during Sunday’s severe weather.
The girl, who is about 18 months old, was taken to the hospital and later released to relatives.
The two parents met when they were teenagers attending different high schools and were married in 2004, before they even graduated.
Relatives went to the site of the destroyed home looking for mementos and toys they could salvage for the little girl.
The storms in Arkansas and Texas killed at least five people. Scores of others were hurt, some critically.
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3 p.m.
Officials in the small Texas town of Van say they have now accounted for all but three people who were reported missing following a deadly tornado.
Chuck Allen, fire marshal and emergency management coordinator for Van Zandt County, also said at a news conference Monday afternoon that officials had confirmed that the tornado was an EF3, with winds from 135 mph to 140 mph.
Earlier, eight people were unaccounted for in Van, population 2,600, about 70 miles southeast of Dallas.
Allen has said that about 30 percent of the community was damaged by Sunday’s storm.
The destruction was widespread, with trees uprooted and numerous homes and buildings flattened or ripped apart.
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11 a.m.
At least two people have been killed and more than two dozen hurt after a tornado whipped through a rural East Texas town.
Authorities in the small community of Van confirmed the deaths as they surveyed damage in their town of 2,600, about 70 miles southeast of Dallas. Eight people were still unaccounted for.
Authorities went door to door following Sunday night’s twister. Damage appeared to be widespread, with trees uprooted and numerous homes and buildings flattened or ripped apart.
About 50 people spent the night at an American Red Cross shelter at a church.
Firefighters in Corsicana, 60 miles southwest of Van, recovered the body of a motorist early Monday after weekend storms dumped 11 inches of rain.
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10:45 a.m.
One person has died in storm-related flooding in Corsicana, Texas, about 50 miles southeast of Dallas.
The National Weather Service says Corsicana received 11 inches of rain in the 72-hour period ending Monday morning.
Fire Chief Donald McMullan says the body of a man in his mid-20s was recovered early Monday by firefighters responding to reports of a missing person.
McMullan says the man’s vehicle apparently stalled in a swollen creek, and he tried to escape through the floodwaters. His name was not immediately released.
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9:45 a.m.
An Arkansas coroner says a young couple was killed but their young daughter survived when a tornado hit their mobile home in the town of Nashville.
Howard County Coroner John Gray says the couple was in their late 20s or early 30s and their daughter was 1 or 2 years old. He did not release the parents’ names.
A line of twisters battered parts of Texas and Arkansas on Sunday, killing the couple and injuring dozens of others. Authorities said at least 10 people were still missing on Monday.
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7:25 a.m.
At least 10 adults are unaccounted for after a possible tornado hit the East Texas town of Van, injuring more than two dozen people.
Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen said Monday that 26 people were transported to hospitals by emergency personnel. Allen says an unknown number of others went by private vehicle for care after Sunday night’s storm.
He had no further details on the 10 missing people in Van, a town of about 2,600 located 70 miles southeast of Dallas.
Allen says 30 percent of Van has damage and about 50 people were in a shelter at a church.
The National Weather Service believes at least one tornado hit Van, with damage to be surveyed Monday.
Oncor (ON’-kor) reported nearly 11,000 customers without electricity Monday, including the Van area.
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