This Article is From Feb 29, 2012

Injuries reported as strong winds whip Missouri

Branson, Missouri: Injuries and significant damage were reported early Wednesday as a line of possible tornadoes moved across the Midwest.

Especially hard-hit were areas in southwest Missouri, including Branson, Lebanon and Buffalo.

In Branson, there were at least a dozen injuries including people trapped in their homes, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Griffin said. The apparent tornado moved through downtown Branson, heavily damaging the city's famous theatres, Griffin said.

Searchers were going house to house early Wednesday, Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell. He said he didn't know how many injuries there were or how severe they were.

Griffin said numerous injuries were also reported in Buffalo, where the storm passed through a mobile home park.

Elsewhere, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency late Tuesday after an apparent tornado struck Harveyville.

The declaration covered Wabaunsee County, southwest of Topeka. A news release from the governor's office said one person was critically injured and "a number of homes" and a church were damaged, and trees and power lines were down.

Earlier, the National Weather Service reported brief tornado touchdowns southwest of Hutchinson, Kan.
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