6 killed in tornado outbreak in Midwest, South

By Jill Zeman Bleed

Associated Press

Published: Saturday, Jan. 1 2011 1:23 a.m. MST

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Harlin Gast walks past the debris in his neighborhood in Sunset Hills, Mo. on Friday, Dec. 31, 2010. Gast got a cut on his head in Friday's storm that destroyed his home and another belonging to his son. "I saw it coming. I jumped under the tractor," he said. Tornadoes fueled by unusually warm air struck the South and Midwest on Friday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more across Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Robert Cohen) NO MAGS; NO SALES; NO TV; EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER OUT; THE ALTON TELEGRAPH OUT, Associated Press

Summary

A rural Arkansas man who survived a rare but deadly winter tornado outbreak in the Midwest and South says he kept his eyes open when a twister plucked him from his home and flung him across the street.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A rural Arkansas man who survived a rare but deadly winter tornado outbreak in the Midwest and South says he kept his eyes open when a twister plucked him from his home and flung him across the street.

Chris Sisemore of the northwestern Arkansas hamlet of Cincinnati says he "wanted to see the end coming." He ended up with bruises but no serious injuries.

At least six people were killed and dozens injured as tornadoes fueled by unusually warm air pummeled the South and Midwest Friday.

Three people died in Cincinnati and three others were killed in Missouri, near Rolla. Later, storms knocked out power and damaged some property in Mississippi.

A tornado watch is in effect for parts of Mississippi and Alabama until 6 a.m. Saturday.

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