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CNN Live Today

La Plata, Maryland Hit Hard by Tornado

Aired April 29, 2002 - 11:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The big cleanup is under way today from Missouri to Maryland. A strong spring storm kicked up a dozen or more tornadoes and left six people dead. One of the worst-hit town appears to be La Plata, Maryland. That is just south of Washington D.C., and that's where we find our Patty Davis this morning.

Patty, hello.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, three confirmed deaths from this tornado here in this county and the next county, more than 80 injuries. Search-and-rescue currently under way, but we're told that will wrap up by about noon Eastern Time. And some good news here is that there is no one else reported missing at this point.

Now the tornado touched down here in La Plata around 7:00 p.m. last night. It toppled the water tower in town, a small shopping center, demolished a Kentucky Fried Chicken there. More than 100 homes damaged, damaged roofs blown off some buildings, flattened.

Now we're on the main street of La Plata. This is called Charles Street. You can see behind me a law office, the windows boarded up. Those had been blown out. You look down that street. You see a lot of people wondering. These are resident here, surveying the damage here. You see a hardware store on your left there and beyond that, there are homes. You can see just piles of rubble, and people with bags, it appears, coming toward us carrying some of their belongings that they've been able to dig out from their homes.

Now we're joined by representative of the American Red Cross Carol Yarrow. You set up shelter here at nearby high school. You didn't have many people come, and you would expect more. Why is that, do you think?

CAROL YARROW, AMERICAN RED CROSS: People were really concerned about looting of their homes last evening. So we have around 31 people, some families with small children.

DAVIS: Now you talked with a couple, you said, who were devastated about the shelter. What's their story?

YARROW: Well, the gentleman was telling that me he and wife were in their car. They were traveling down the street. They -- as they approached the CVS, they saw the tornado, so they quickly drove behind the bank, and apparently the bank building saved their lives, because the air conditioner blew off and hit another car.

DAVIS: Is there an 800 number for victims to call if they need help?

YARROW: There is. It's 866-GET-INFO, from 9:00-6:00 Eastern Standard Time. That's for Red Cross help.

DAVIS: OK, great. That's Carol Yarrow, American Red Cross, thank you.

Good thing here was that the sirens were blaring. There were television and radio announcement that there was very bad weather, tornado warnings in the area, so many residents were able to take cover. It could have been a lot worse -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Patty Davis in La Plata, Maryland, thank you very much.

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