One Child Dead, Two Injured and One Missing after Landslide at Lilydale Regional Park in St. Paul, MN (Update: 10 Year Old Mohamed Fofana’s Body ID’d)

TRAGEDY DURING 4TH GRADE FIELD TRIP …

A landslide at Lilydale Regional Park in St. Paul, MN has left one child dead, two children injured and one child missing. The incident occurred as a group of 4th grade children from the Peter Hobart Elementary School were on a field trip at the the Lilydale Regional Park. As reported at CBS-WCCO, the kids were exploring a hillside in the park when the ground gave way due to the recent rains. The slide created a sinkhole, which quickly filled with water. Police said the two injured children were taken to Regions Hospital. The search for the fourth child was suspended due to dangerous conditions as light rain fell throughout the afternoon. Sadly, the search effort for the missing child is now being described as a recovery effort.

VIDEO

A fourth-grade field trip to a Mississippi River park popular with fossil hunters turned deadly Wednesday when gravel saturated by persistent rain gave way, killing one child and injuring two others. A fourth child was missing.

The landslide at Lilydale Regional Park swept over a group of children from Peter Hobart Elementary School in St. Louis Park, burying one to the waist and completely burying another, Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said.

Another child suffered minor injuries in the landslide, which happened about 1:15 p.m. The three children were taken to Regions Hospital, and one died, Zaccard said.

A search for the fourth child was suspended due to dangerous conditions as light rain fell throughout the afternoon. Zaccard described that search as a recovery effort.

UPDATE I: Body of missing student recovered from Minn. park.

Search crews recovered the body of a missing fourth grader Thursday, a day after a gravel slide at a St. Paul park.

The child, identified by family members as 10-year-old Mohamed Fofana, was among four youngsters from a St. Louis Park, Minn., elementary school who plunged off a 30-foot bluff at Lilydale Regional Park after the ground gave way during a school field trip Wednesday.

On Wednesday, officials found the body of 9-year-old Haysem Sani. Two other students from Peter Hobart Elementary School were injured in the slide. One boy is recovering at home, while the other is hospitalized in serious condition.

Monsterous Tornado Hits Oklahoma City Suburbs, Neighborhoods in Moore, OK Devastated, Many Injured and Dead (Update: 24 Children Believed Dead in School)

Devastation, Disaster and Death as massive tornado hits Oklahoma …

The National Weather Service issued an initial finding that the tornado was an EF-4. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin deployed 80 National Guard members to assist with search-and-rescue operations and activated extra highway patrol officers. Neighborhoods were completely flattened. Oh dear God, an Elementary School was destroyed and it is believed that 24 children have died.

UPDATE I: Rescue workers raced against time and the oncoming night Monday looking for survivors after a powerful tornado blasted an area outside of Oklahoma City, leveling homes and killing at least 37 people.

UPDATE II: Efforts switch to recovery at Moore, Okla. elementary school. Sadly, the rescue efforts have turned to a recovery.

CBS News, Examiner: 37 People Dead, Death Toll Expected To Rise.

At least 37 people were reported killed.

KFOR-TV reports that up to 24 children are believed dead at the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore and that it has turned into a search and recovery effort. The storm tore off the roof, knocked down walls and turned the playground into a mass of twisted plastic and metal. Several children were pulled alive from the rubble, however. Rescue workers passed the survivors down a human chain to a triage center in the parking lot.

At least seven of the children drowned after being found at the bottom of a pool at Plaza Towers, according to KFOR

VIDEO OF THE DEVASTATION

TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN

6 Dead, 100′s Injured and at Least 14 Missing After Texas Tornadoes Hit Granbury, TX (North Texas)

Three massive tornadoes hit North Texas …

Six are confirmed dead, hundreds were injured, dozens were treated at local hospitals and at least twelve individuals are missing after multiple, massive tornadoes hit the town of Granbury, Texas.  Hundreds of homes were damaged as a result of the tornado, included many completely flattened.As reported, the tornado was part of a massive system of severe thunderstorms that spawned several tornadoes across North Texas, dropping large hail stones in some areas. The National Weather Service estimates that 10 tornadoes may have touched down. The tornadoes also did extensive damage in the cities of Cleburne and Ennis.

Say a prayer for those affected.

Destructive Tornado near Millsap, TX

Via Storm Chasers

At least six people were confirmed dead, 14 more missing and extensive damage reported after as many as three tornadoes slammed into the lakefront town of Granbury on Wednesday evening, flattening homes and buildings and tossing vehicles like toys.

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said that 28 people were treated at a local hospital, and as many as 100 others were injured. Sixteen of those hurt, including two children, had to be transported to Fort Worth hospitals for treatment. Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth received eight people from Granbury, with two in critical condition and one in serious condition as of Thursday morning.

More than 250 people were evacuated from the heavily damaged Rancho Brazos neighborhood, southeast of Granbury, according to Deeds.

VIDEO of damage caused from Tornadoes.

Death and destruction in Hood County, TX

VIDEO – CNN

Tornado Touches Down in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Damage including at the University of Southern Mississippi (VIDEO)

TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN IN HATTISBURG, MS …

The National Weather Service is stating that emergency officials are reporting that a large tornado hit Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  Forrest County Fire Coordinator Chip Brown says there is major damage in Hattiesburg and Petal, including on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. So far it has been reported that there is wide spread damage and at least 3 people have been injured. The National Weather Service meteorologist Joanne Culin says there have also been reports of injuries in Marion County. Robert Latham, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency stated that there were reports of significant damage in Hattiesburg, where the tornado touched down. The city is home to the University of Southern Mississippi.

YouTube Video: Rynal Grant

As the storm system moved east, tornado warnings remained in effect for parts of southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama.

Pictures of tornado and damage can be seen HERE on Twitter.

UPDATE I: More VIDEO of the tornado touchdown in Hattiesburg, MS.

UPDATE II:  Officials state that major damage to several buildings including those located on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi.

The university released a statement saying that several buildings had been damaged but that no injuries were reported. Campus police have declared a state of emergency and asked anyone not on campus to stay away.

Video by CBS affiliate WHLT-TV shows the heavy damage to the university, including busted windows, wood panels strewn on the lawn and fallen fences.

The storm overturned and damaged vehicles and threw debris around parts of the campus.

Snowmageddon Hits Northeast … Nemo Dumps Near Record Snow Amounts in Boston … More Than 3 Ft of Snow in CT … 650,000 Without Power .. Record Snowfall in Portland, ME … Sea Walls Threatened in NH

Yesterday Nemo blasted New York and New Jersey, overnight it set its force upon the Northeast.

NEMOGEDDON … The massive snow storm with hurricane-force wind gusts and blizzard conditions has hit the Northeast overnight. Nemo has left more than 650,000 homes and businesses without power and has made many roads  impassable as New Englanders are waking up to two and three feet of snow and snow drifts up to six or even feet. Coastal areas are also dealing with potential flooding. There are travel bans in Connecticut Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. Travel bans have also been called for on Long Island, NY.  Thousands of flights have been canceled between Logan International in Boston, MA, Bradley International in Hartford, CT, JFK International and LaGuardia in NY and Newark International in NJ. Some have wondered whether this storm could top Boston’s all-time single-storm snowfall record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003. I remember that one very well.

More than 38 inches of snow fell in Milford in central Connecticut, and an 82-mph wind gust was recorded in nearby Westport. Areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched at least 2 feet – with more falling. Airlines scratched more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and the three major airports serving New York City as well as Boston’s Logan Airport closed.

Flooding was also a concern along the coast, and the possibility led to the evacuation of two neighborhoods in Quincy, Mass., said Fire Deputy Gary Smith. But it did not appear to create major problems in New York and New Jersey, states hit hardest during last October’s Superstorm Sandy.

Near record snow falls hit Boston, MA and it’s still snowing.

 As of 7 a.m., Boston’s official snow total was 21.8”. This would rank as the 6th highest snowstorm in Boston’s recorded history (well over 100 years). With an additional 3-6” possible Saturday morning we could very easily approach the all-time snowfall record of 27.5” set back in the President’s Day storm of 2003.

Boston.com

UPDATE I: 5 deaths blamed on powerful snow storm that drops 2 feet of snow in Northeast

A 74-year-old man in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., died after he was struck by a car on a snowy street. The driver, 18, said she lost control of the car due to the snow. One pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed Friday night in Prospect, Conn., state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said. In southern Ontario, an 80-year-old woman collapsed while shoveling her driveway and two men were killed in car crashes.

UPDATE II: MAINE: Record snow fall for Portland, ME. Thanks to Winter storm Nemo and that record snow fall in Maine, As ‘Bert and I’ famously stated in their Downeast story telling …  “You can’t get they-ah from hee-ah.”

Portland recorded a record snowfall for a single storm as snow and wind continued to batter the city and most of southern and central Maine.

The National Weather Service in Gray reports the city had received 29.3 inches of snow at the jetport by 8 a.m. The previous record of 27.1 inches was recorded in Portland on Jan. 17 and 19, 1979.

Other snow totals as of 8 a.m. include: 28 inches in south Windham; 23.5 inches in Lewiston; 26.1 inches in Gorham; and 26 inches in Kennebunk, according to the weather service.

“Right now we’re seeing significant snowfall occurring along the coast from Augusta down through the Portland area. This will continue for a couple hours before it starts to weaken and move east,” Chris Legro of the National Weather Service in Gray said shortly after 6 a.m.

Legro said 24.7 inches of snow had fallen in Kennebunk by 6 a.m. Portand had 12.3 inches by 12:30 a.m. Portland is experiencing wind gusts of around 50 mph and visibility of less than a quarter-mile.

UPDATE III: NEW HAMPSHIRE - Nemo pounds the Granite state and the seas are pounding the NH shoreline. The state of NH at 10:15 a.m. today closed Route 1A (Ocean Boulevard) from the Hampton town line to the Rye town line. A state of emergency has been declared in NH.

#SeacoastNemo pic.twitter.com/XSsE9j8E

The waves are crashing over the sea walls in Rye, NH. Thus the reason why Rt. 1A has been closed to all traffic, except emergency vehicles.

Photo credit @ebb513 pic.twitter.com/NraLoFD4

Downtown Portsmouth, NH looks quite different this morning than a usual Saturday morning.

UPDATE IV: CONNECTICUT - The state of Connecticut has been basically paralyzed by winter storm Nemo. Parts of the state have been fit with 2 feet of snow, others areas up to 3 feet. There have been two Storm-Related deaths reported; roads are closed across Connecticut as snowfall totals near 3 feet in some towns.

Connecticut residents woke to a world of white on Saturday after a blizzard dumped up to 3 feet of snow across southern New England, burying abandoned cars, stranding travelers and leaving roads impassable. Two storm-related deaths have been reported.

An 88-year-old woman who was using a snowblower in Prospect was struck by a car that didn’t stop, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said during an 11 a.m. press briefing.

And in Danbury, a 73-year-old man died Saturday morning after being found in his driveway, police said.

The governor said the travel ban he put in place at 5 a.m. will continue until further notice.

Hartford, CT has been completely shut down following Nemo. There has been a vehicle ban on all cars except for emergency vehicles.

UPDATE V:  U.S. Postal Service suspends mail delivery in New England due to blizzard … Post offices in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island will remain closed Saturday.