17 hurt as tornado hits US
A tornado swept through a community east of Colorado Springs, damaging mobile homes and buildings and injuring at least 17 people.
Lt Melissa Hartman in the El Paso County sheriff’s office said one person was seriously injured. Yesterday’s tornado hit three mobile home parks and at least one school, authorities said.
Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs treated 17 injured people. Sixteen were in good condition and one man was in serious condition with a broken leg, hospital spokesman Chris Valentine said.
‘‘Mostly it’s cuts, lacerations and bumps on the head,’’ Valentine said.
Trish Davidson said her mobile home was lifted from its foundation and that its roof was blown off. Davidson, her husband and four of their children had just returned from a holiday fishing outing and were cleaning up.
‘‘We saw the dark clouds develop, then the strong winds, and then the hail, golf-ball size hail,’’ she said. ‘‘We saw everything ease off for a little bit and then it started up again. We saw the clouds starting to swirl.’’
When the winds died down and the hail stopped, the family tried to leave the area. But the tornado arrived as her husband opened the door.
‘‘We just hit the floor in the living room and covered the kids and the tornado hit,’’ she said.
Davidson was interviewed by telephone at the Ellicott United Methodist Church, which was opened to those whose homes were damaged. She had to hang up with a reporter when everyone was ordered to the basement because more tornados were reported in the area.
