At least 4 dead in MA tornados

At least four people were killed and a number of others were injured in the violent storms that swept across Massachusetts today, which included at least two tornadoes, state officials said today.

Two people were killed in Westfield, one in West Springfield, and one in Brimfield, said Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Governor Deval Patrick said damage had been reported in at least 19 communities, mostly in Central and Western Massachusetts. He declared a state of emergency, saying he was mobilizing up to 1,000 members of the National Guard to help in search and rescue, debris cleanup, and other recovery tasks.
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State Police said 33 people were injured in the city of Springfield alone, including five seriously.

Patrick, who held news conferences at the State House and then at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency bunker in Framingham, said 48,000 customers of National Grid and Western Massachusetts Electric Co. were out of power tonight. No numbers were available from NStar, he said.

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http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/06/thunderstorms_r_1.html

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/northeast_loop.php


It was a lot worse 5 or six hours ago. All of western and central Mass was red.


:scared:

K & R

Passed through my town (Newton) an hour or so ago - much attenuated but still very strong. Haven't seen anything like it in these parts for many years.