Twisters, High Winds Hit Midwest; 5 Die

Tornadoes and winds of up to 90 m.p.h. raked Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio on Monday, killing at least five people and injuring as many as 70. Electricity to thousands of homes was cut and dozens of airplanes at Cincinnati’s airport were destroyed.

The tornadoes and winds were triggered by a cold front that rapidly moved across the Ohio Valley and met warm, moist air, said Pete Reynolds, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Severe Storms Center in Kansas City. The weather service reported at least 21 tornadoes, of which 15 touched down in Indiana.

About 40 persons were injured in Newport, Falmouth and Erlanger, Ky., said state Trooper Jim Dolwick. Eight injuries were reported in Lexington and Bromley, Ky.; there were 22 injuries in Indiana and four in Ohio.

Strong winds ripped through a 12-block section of Newport, causing heavy damage, said Gordon Nichols, a spokesman for the state disaster and emergency services office. Streets were blocked off and about 80 National Guard members were called in, he said.

State of Emergency

In nearby Covington, a state of emergency was declared and non-residents were warned to keep out of the city after high winds knocked out power and ripped the roofs off dozens of buildings. About 50 National Guardsmen were sent there, Nichols said.

Gov. Martha Layne Collins toured Covington and Newport late Monday to assess damage, press secretary Barbara Hadley Smith said.

High winds “just wiped out” a trailer park on the west side of Indianapolis and caused heavy damage to several businesses, said Marion County sheriff’s dispatcher Tom Booher. No casualties were reported there.

In Hancock County, Ind., a man was crushed to death as the barn in which he and his brother had taken refuge collapsed in high winds, said sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Johnson. The brother suffered minor injuries, Johnson said.

Near Evansville, a man died when he was struck by a falling tree limb while working on a house, police said.

In Jasper Township, Ohio, a man was killed when a storm hit his trailer and three other family members were injured, said Fayette County Sheriff Robert W. McArthur.

Man Dragged With Roof

A man using a chain to hold down a barn roof in McLean County, in western Kentucky, died when the roof blew off and he was dragged 78 feet, said Coroner John Muster.

A woman was killed and her son was injured when high winds, probably from a tornado, flattened their house trailer near New Concord, Ohio, said Muskingum County Sheriff Bernie Gibson.

In southern Indiana, what apparently was the same tornado hopscotched through Austin, injuring 15 people, and struck Little York, where it injured three persons, said state police Sgt. Paul Hedge.

“We have about 15 to 20 homes or trailers that have been blown away or damaged,” said Austin Police Chief John Adams.

“We’ve been shut down since the storm hit,” said Ted Bushelman, a spokesman at Greater Cincinnati International Airport, where six people suffered minor injuries when control tower windows blew out.

Many Aircraft Destroyed

“There are also 30 to 50 airplanes damaged beyond repair,” Bushelman said. Most of the damaged airplanes were small aircraft, he said.