NATION : Tornado Savages Colorado Town
A tornado devastated this farming community’s commercial strip and a trailer park, injuring at least 12 people, authorities said today. Warning sirens apparently averted more serious casualties.
Sirens wailed in Limon for 10 minutes before the twister struck Wednesday night, giving residents time to take shelter, officials and survivors said.
Gov. Roy Romer, who flew to the shattered town on a National Guard helicopter early today, said he will seek a federal disaster declaration. “The business district is 50% to 75% destroyed,” he said, adding that damage was likely to run into the tens of millions of dollars.
The town, best-known for helping blizzard-stranded travelers forced off Interstate 70, was without water, electricity and telephone service at mid-morning.
National Guardsmen brought bedding, food and other supplies.
The town hall, a bank, a supermarket, a video store and a nightclub were destroyed along Main Street in this town of 1,800.
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