— Massachusetts officials say four people are dead after at least two tornadoes swept through western and central parts of the state.
Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the deaths Wednesday night but said there were no details about the circumstances.
He said two people died in Westfield, one in West Springfield and one in the town of Brimfield.
The storms have also caused an unknown number of injuries and extensive damage.
Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and called up 1,000 National Guard troops.
One of the tornadoes struck in Springfield, the state’s third largest city.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Severe weather including what Gov. Deval Patrick called at least two tornadoes swept through parts of the state on Wednesday afternoon, scattering debris, toppling trees and triggering a declaration of a state of emergency.
Patrick, who called up 1,000 National Guard troops, made the emergency declaration after heavy damage was reported in several communities, including many in the western part of the state. Patrick met with officials from the state police, state fire marshal’s office, National Guard and other emergency and public safety agencies.
Patrick said he had received reports through the media of a fatality in West Springfield. That fatality apparently occurred when a car overturned in the storms. Patrick said he hadn’t independently confirmed the death.
“It’s been particularly devastating in downtown Springfield and the communities of Springfield and Monson,” Patrick said at a Statehouse press conference after a briefing with state emergency officials.
Patrick said he had heard reports of a roof being torn off a school and damage to homes and a church. He said he also had asked superintendents in affected communities to cancel school on Thursday to aid in the clean-up.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, said he spoke with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He said inspectors from the agency will be reviewing storm damage Thursday.
Neal said he also spoke with Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, who told him the damage to the city was severe.
“Based on the mayor’s plea to me, it’s clear they’re going to need federal help,” Neal said.
One of the tornadoes struck downtown Springfield, one of the state’s largest cities, on Wednesday afternoon, frightening workers and residents. Several injuries were reported.
Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, about 90 miles west of Boston, was treating numerous injured people, some with serious force trauma injuries, spokeswoman Jane Albert said.
Among the injured in Springfield was a retired priest, according to a spokesman for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Springfield.
The priest was living at St. Michael’s Retired Priest Residence, which was damaged by the apparent tornado. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known, and the other priests living at the facility had been moved to a nearby rectory.
Television news footage showed buildings with their top floors pulverized or sheared off. Video aired by WWLP-TV showed a debris-filled funnel roaring into downtown from the west, crossing the Connecticut River and tossing water and debris.
Thomas Walsh, a spokesman for Sarno, told The Associated Press he was looking out his City Hall window around 4:30 p.m. when he saw the funnel.
“I could see this massive cloud of debris floating around in a circular, cylindrical fashion,” he said.
After the winds passed, Walsh said, he could see about 10 large trees damaged in a square in downtown Springfield, the state’s third-largest city, with more than 150,000 residents. Officials also heard reports of damage in the city’s South End section, and emergency vehicles were heading there.
The storm hit as workers were beginning to leave for the evening commute home. A tractor-trailer overturned during the storm on the Memorial Bridge leading to West Springfield.
Walsh said city officials rushed to the basement when the danger became apparent.
State police said in addition to Springfield they have reports of tornadoes in the communities of Agawam, Charlton, Monson, Oxford, West Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham and Sturbridge.
“We have reports on a couple of tornadoes. There was one tornado approximately 4:30 p.m. and it touched down in Westfield,” National Weather Service meteorologist William Babcock said. “A couple of minutes later, we had a report of a tornado going through Springfield.”
Since 1950, Massachusetts has had about two tornadoes per year, and there had been none since 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The last deadly tornado in the state occurred on May 29, 1995, when three people were killed, it said.
The state police Special Emergency Response Team was activated and its members were searching some damaged structures to make sure there are no people trapped inside.
Police closed some highway ramps leading into Springfield.
The storm hit Springfield after a tornado watch was issued for much of the East Coast, including Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
State police said there was heavy damage in spots and troopers were prepared to do house-to-house searches if needed.
Bob Pashko, of West Springfield, said he was coming from his doctor’s office when the storm started and he went to a downtown bar in Springfield to wait for a ride.
“The next thing you know the TV says a tornado hit the railroad bridge in West Springfield,” said Pashko, 50. “It’s the baddest I’ve seen.”
At the bar, Pashko said, the owner told people to get away from the window as patrons saw the storm on TV.
“To see it live on TV when I’m five football fields away is better than being outside,” Pashko said.
In Sturbridge, in central Massachusetts, a half-mile section of Main Street was shut down after a tornado apparently touched down, damaging homes and felling trees, according to town administrator Shaun Suhoski.
Suhoski said some people suffered “cuts, scrapes, bruises,” though no serious injuries were immediately reported. But he said emergency crews were cleaning up after the storm blew trees into houses and severely damaged telephone poles and rooftops. A shelter has been set up in town at Tantasqua Senior Regional High School.
“It was a pretty heavy assault from the storm system and we’re trying to dig out and assess it right now,” Suhoski said.
“A tornado took out several street areas of the town, went through the center of the town and houses were destroyed by trees,” Wilbraham police Pvt. Wendy Denning said. “Homes in at least five streets were damaged by trees, but there were no immediate reports of major injuries — although there were reports of walking wounded…I personally transported one person.”
The apparent tornado battered the town of Monson, toppling a church steeple while wrecking houses and uprooting massive trees.
The Rev. Bob Marrone of The First Church of Monson said the storm cleared a view he’s never seen across the valley where the town sits.
“I can see the plywood of roofs, and see houses where most of the house is gone,” he said. “The road that runs up in front of my house … There’s so many trees down, it’s completely impassable.”
National Grid reported on its website more than 32,000 power outages, the vast majority in central and western Massachusetts.
Western Massachusetts Electric also reported more than 15,400 outages in Western Massachusetts.
Connecticut Light and Power spokesman Mitch Gross said around 50 workers were being sent to help out their sister company Western Massachusetts Electric with power outages.
Stephen Singer reported from Springfield, Mass. Associated Press writers Russell Contreras, Bob Salsberg, Jay Lindsay, Sylvia Wingfield and Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Kristi Eaton in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
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