Kansas City area earlier saw twisters; several states on alert
© Sydney Brink/The Sedalia Democrat/APJoe Horacek of Sedalia, Mo., surveys the damage shortly after a tornado sliced through his neighborhood Wednesday. Horacek said he got sprayed with glass and debris when he looked out a window and barely made it to the safety of his bathroom. His home, in background, he said, "is gone."
Kansas City, Missouri - As residents in three states picked through rubble, looking for victims and belongings buried by storms that killed 14 people, twisters hopped across the Kansas City area Wednesday while a tornado warning was issued for St. Louis, where a trained spotter reported a twister briefly touched down near a busy interstate.
Funnel clouds were seen across the St. Louis area, NBC affiliate KSDK-TV reported.
The system also caused Chicago's O'Hare airport to cancel 550 flights and delay inbound and outbound flights by three hours.
Suburbs around Kansas City, Mo., reportedly saw at least one twister, and the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the downtown area, where a a rotating wall cloud was seen before the weather improved.
No reports of damage were immediately available but tornado sirens were heard in some areas. People in downtown buildings moved into underground areas before the worst of the weather passed.
A tornado also touched down in nearby Sedalia, Mo., the National Weather Service said. A Sedalia resident told KSHB-TV that damage in the town of about 21,000 was significant.
Earlier Wednesday, a twister was reported on the ground in Miami County, Kan., just west of Kansas City. Damage was spotted near Highway 69, KSHB-TV reported officials as saying.
