[9:32 p.m. ET] At least four people have been killed in the tornadoes that struck western Massachusetts on Wednesday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said.
[8:25 p.m. ET] Severe storms - including tornadoes - have left behind "many injuries" and extensive damage in western and central Massachusetts on Wednesday, Gov. Deval Patrick said.
Patrick also said he's received a report one person has died as as result of the storms. He said he has declared a state of emergency for Massachusetts and called up 1,000 National Guard members, who will be asked to help with cleanup and search-and-rescue operations.
"It's been particularly devastating in downtown Springfield," he said.
Patrick said he was asking school superintendents in affected communities to cancel Thursday classes so that rescue and recovery personnel could concentrate on cleanup.
The National Weather Service has said it received three reports of tornadoes in Massachusetts on Wednesday: at least one near Springfield; one near Palmer; and one near Sturbridge and Oxford.
Sandra Ahearn, a spokeswoman for the Western Massachusetts Electric Co., said 12,000 customers were without power in the utility's service area and that hard-hit areas might not have electricity until the end of the week.
[7:50 p.m. ET] Trained weather spotters reported a tornado near Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at 7:25 p.m. ET, bringing to at least three the number of tornadoes that have been reported in the state Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
By 7:35 p.m., the suspected tornado was located near Oxford, Massachusetts, moving east at 30 mph.
[6:53 p.m. ET] Local law enforcement reported a tornado caused widespread damage near Palmer, Massachusetts, about 14 miles northeast of Springfield. The tornado was moving east at 35 mph, the National Weather Service said.
[4:51 p.m. ET] Witnesses reported a tornado near downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, on Wednesday as heavy thunderstorms swept through western Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service.
Police and amateur radio operators said tornadoes were spotted in a Springfield neighborhood and within a half-mile of downtown, according to a warning put out by the Weather Service. No confirmation of damage or injuries was immediately known, however.
Springfield is about 90 miles west of Boston.
Our downtown facility was hurt by the tornado(s) in western MA. Don't ask how, it just was. If you are one of the homeowners whose shabby loans we bundled and sold to stupid foreign investors, and your home is currently in forclosure...please be patient. We WILL repo your home on time. Sincerly, Willy Armadoffs. Vice Pres. Eastern Bank
@2termlimit....It's now reported surrounding states have rushed in it's own National Guardsman along with other assistance. No state ever does it alone in situations as serious as this. When your state declares " State of emergency" you are asking for help from FEMA and other places.
@ Kent Bowen:
$ 7,394,582,639.47.
Send money order, payable to:
T Joey Cardinal Fin
yeah trickam...god called just a while ago but the bum called collect...I told him to blow and look what he did to Springfield...whatta jerk
Scary! I'm in Ludlow Mass and I work in Springfield, I just barely made it out of there before the Tornado hit. My friends and family are all afraid and it amazes me that I think this is the lowest class tornado we're experiencing..? F1 or even F0. God bless the people in Tornado alley because I sure as he00 couldn't do through this all the time. The northeast rarely encounters tornadoes and it's something i'd like to never experience again thank you!
I have been in Kansas City all 55 yrs of my life and have never seen a tornado. But I am 160 miles from Joplin,MO, the deadliest hit ever. Bad enough we have no nearby mts,ocean,etc, but the only exciting thing on our horizon is a chance of a tornado.
Here's to you 2termlimit, to bad your Commonwealth has had the disfunctional Kennedy's running the show for nearly 40 years, who might I add help formulate and pass policy that allows state's Governor to request FEMA Funding, Mass was a big supporter for Robert T Stafford ..could have been called the Ted Kennedy Act. By the way, your state is needing to use 1000 National Guard troops, when Joplin, MO is only using 250, that is where all your taxes go (4th in USA).
Your god can b l o w me instead of Springfiled ...explain to me how you Republican fools were so wrong about the effects of global warming as predicted and now coming to fruition...scientists are are a lot more accurate than your nonsensical bible
Hit Springfield and made 3M in urban improvements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSvqMBj-ig
The truth will set your heart free(Jesus is the TRUTH)give him a try!! He will never fail a true searcher // besides the devil is a loser
your dopey jesus is dead and is gonna stay that way...grow up ...hail satan
@twotermlimit,first off give it time. Secondly are you REALLY comparing 140 people being killed and nearly a whole town destroyed to this, honestly this is less than what we're used to in the lower mid west. Get a reality check dude. P.S. No I'm not belittling this storm I'm terribly sorry to everyone who's lives have been touched by it.
Jim,Im in the midwest,too.I feel for anyone who lives through a tornado, no matter the size (or lack of) casualties. This isn't the time for a manly "mine is bigger than yours" debate. Have a heart.
As if the Israel MOSSAD are God's little helpers. The only idiots that believe that Israel remains "God's chosen nation" are the ones who pay preachers to tell them so. When God truly was with Israel, young David needed only a sling to subdue and entire army. King Saul? Slew 10,000 enemies with the skull of an ass. That's more than Israeli made UZZI machine guns could have killed. Modern-day Israel has tanks and guns and nukes and free Caterpillars and illegal alliances with foreign nations and STILL they struggle with enemies!
To everyone in mass. I pray that your ok. People on here for your own agenda well,I pray for your soul. Truly pathetic to bash people for their beliefs. The world ending, the worlds not ending? I mean really? When you die you will leave this world you will leave it alone so do us all a favor and worry about yourself.
yeah praying should do about as much good as wishing and hoping...reduce global emissions of fossil fuels...it'll do a lot moregood than praying...i pray hope and wish you grow up
if my friend believed lttle green men were tormenting him...I try to talk to sense into him too...ITS TIME TO DROP THE GOD NONSENSE AND GROW UP AS A SPECIES
You should pray wish and hope to get a life. Your a joke
RIGHT i'M A JOKE ...YOU BELIEVE IN A MAGIC BEING WITH A BEARD AND A ROBE WHO LIVES IN A CLOUD AND GRANTS WISHES AND I'M A JOKE...sorry about thos e caps
With the junk being posted here, I suspect y'all are CNN reporters posting in the comments section. I know I am... Hope MA gets the help they will need, but the weather all over is going to get worse. It's nothing to do with any god, just plain science. You can't mess big time with the world in just a couple hundered years, as we have and not expect it to change in a negative manner, duh... Get used to it. It will be getting much worse as we forget each event and continue on our meangless path to world destruction. No god to save you, just the end of mankind and unfortunately every species on the planet... Oops...
something new might come along....it always has
Good luck with that
say a prayer for me dude