Saturday, January 28, 2012

CSW BREAKING: Crash After Raytown Police Chase

Raytown Police chased a vehicle south on Raytown Road from the area of M-350 during the 6 o'clock hour at reported speeds of "100 m.p.h.."




The chase ended in a crash in Kansas City MO at or near Bannister Road when the suspect vehicle- whose male driver reportedly gave a RPD officer a "fake I.D.-" struck a power pole.




It sounds that fortunately no other motorists were involved in the crash that has reportedly "not injured" the suspect driver.




Power is reportedly out in the area of Raytown Road and Bannister- as well as traffic signals at that intersection.


More if/as received.....

MetroRegion Kansas City News: Multiple Fatality Crash West of Topeka

The Kansas Highway Patrol reports "multiple fatalities-" and westbound I-70 is closed west of Topeka after a deadly cross-over crash Saturday afternoon.






The crash itself is very near the 351 mile-marker- and it was reported a car going eastbound on I-70 went into the median for yet unknown reasons and collided with a minivan going westbound- according to the TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL.




Other media reports say at least three people have died in the crash.




Later Saturday evening- the Kansas Highway Patrol identified the deceased were in the minivan that contained a Salina family- a mother and two of her children.


The KHP says those victims were: "37-year-old Laura R. Geske- 8-year-old Joshua Geske and 3-year-old Joy Geske."


Suffering what the KHP reports as "minor injuries" were "41-year-old Jeffery Geske and the Geskes' 3-year-old son Jacob."




The driver of the car that struck the Geske's van was identified by the KHP as "62-year-old Steven C. Moore of Topeka."


Mr. Moore's condition was described as "serious-" and the KHP says "a medical issue suffered by Mr. Moore" may have contributed to his crossing the median and crashing into the Geske's van.




Notable also is that ALL occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts/and "proper restraints."




CSW offers our condolences to family and friends of the victims.

Wrong-Way Driver Causes Crash on I-35 in Johnson County KS

A woman driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I-35 crashed into another car early Saturday morning.


The wreck occurred about 2:37 a.m. just north of Antioch in northern Overland Park.


MEDACT-EMS reported a "25-year-old female driver" of the vehicle that was going the wrong way was also intoxicated.


The northbound car that was struck- driven by a "29-year-old female-" rolled over off the east side of the freeway and had to be extricated from her vehicle.


Miraculously- neither driver suffered life-threatening injuries as reported by MEDACT crews who took them to different hospitals.

Bus Hits TV Live Truck During News Conference in Cincinnati

A live news van owned by KSHB sister station WCPO in Cincinnati was struck by an interstate bus during a news conference regarding the partial collapse of a casino under construction in that southwestern Ohio city Friday.



There were no injuries in the collision and damage to the bus and the WCPO-9 van was reportedly minor.




Thirteen construction workers were injured at the casino incident..

Friday, January 27, 2012

CSW Readers: My Apologies ... and Thank You!

The posts have been very few and far between the past week or so and that's what the apology is regarding.




As regular readers know- I am providing in-house care for my bedridden father.


This would be doubly difficult if not for my live-in lady Ms. Rittenhouse (Diane) whom I love dearly- and the assistance of the very GREAT folks at Crossroads Hospice (your "Captain" HIGHLY recommends these fine folks!).


However- Ms. Rittenhouse has returned to full-time work- and was ill herself last week (as I was the week before). 




Therefore I was taking care of both Dad and her needs- which left me very little time to read- monitor the Metro airwaves and/or post here.




The "Thank You" is for your patience with me if you've been logging in here frequently expecting   my news/weather updates.




I also want to especially thank you my fellow citizens of the Metro- MetroRegion and Planet Earth for making last year- 2011- the very best year this blog has had both reader-wise and page-view-wise.


Nearly 175000 visitors read nearly a quarter-million pages!




I'm mostly back in the saddle now- as I shall to continue to strive- commercial (and pop-up) free- to bring you the latest news and weather information (especially tornadoes) here at CSW- Capt. Spaulding's World.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Today in History: The Orrick MO Tornado of 1967


It was the noon hour of January 24, 1967 when a deadly twister struck the small community of Orrick in the northeastern Kansas City Metro.

Here is a description of that day from my yet-uncompleted book on Kansas City MetroRegion Tornadoes Since 1950...



"Weather conditions more like April than January that day contributed to a noteworthy tornado outbreak over the Central U.S. and western Great Lakes states. 



Noteworthy it was for at the time, it was the furthest north a tornado outbreak in winter had ever occurred in recorded history. 



Thirty-two tornadoes were reported in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. 




Two of the tornadoes during the outbreak reached F-4 intensity that January Tuesday. 




Four of those twisters ... in  Missouri, Iowa, Illinois ... were killers.


The first killer tornado of the outbreak touched down in the noon hour about 20 miles east of Downtown KC,MO ... in Jackson County ... moving northeast into southwestern Ray County MO, striking the high school in Orrick,MO..



The thunderstorm that would spawn the tornado formed about 30 miles southwest of Kansas City just before the noon hour. 

The storm quickly became severe as it moved northeast at an average speed of 40 m.p.h.. 


Around 12:25 p.m., straight-line winds estimated near 60 m.p.h. caused damage to the-then under contruction Metcalf South shopping center at 95th Street and Metcalf in Overland Park,KS. 

The storm moved through southern Prairie Village, northern Leawood,KS, the across the Missouri state line into southwestern Kansas City near 83rd Street and State Line. 



At Southeast High school across from Swope Park, winds estimated at 50 m.p.h. chased a boy's gym class from outdoor fields. 



The storm moved on, passing over the Blue Ridge Mall area. 



Reports of hail up to quarter size began to be received as the storm moved over southern and eastern Independence. 


There were scattered reports of damage to trees and power lines there, and at least one unconfirmed report of a funnel cloud near the Lake City munitions plant at Missouri Highways 7 and 78. 

At 12:40 p.m., the funnel dropped to the ground about 3 miles southwest of Buckner (present-day eastern 
Independence ). 


The tornado spared a direct hit on  Buckner , damaging outbuildings and barns in the nearby rural hills. 


The funnel then moved into the Missouri River plain, just missing the small community of Sibley.



As the tornado moved across the river into southwestern RAY County, the vortex reached it's maximum F-3 strength with the town of Orrick just a few miles ahead in it's path. 



It was when the high school's clocks stopped, at 12:52 p.m., the estimated 250-foot wide tornado with winds as high as 200 m.p.h. slammed into the one-story building on the west side of Orrick, a town of around 750 people off of  Highway M-210. 

The greater than Category 5 hurricane force winds lifted, then collapsed the roof of the gym as well as the upper walls of the building. 



This caused another part of the school's roof to collapse over the classroom area. 

Debris blew in and rained down onto the more than 200 students and their instructors taking cover in interior hallways, immediately killing one of the students. 

Fourteen more students, one them with critical head injuries, and a teacher were among the injured at the high school.



One of those who died that day was identified in Associated Press stories the next day as 18-year-old OHS senior Danny Gene Barber, who reportedly "suffocated" under debris from the fallen roof.



The student with the critical head injuries died after the AP story was written.




He was 15-year-old Danny Blythe, who died in the Richmond MO hospital. 

At least three other homes were either damaged or destroyed in town where the remainder of the 18 total injuries in the town were reported. 



Dozens of police, fire units and ambulances responded from a three-county area to assist in rescue, treatment and transport off the injured in Orrick that day.



The tornado continued on for about another 20 minutes, taking out more barns and outbuildings until it lifted 4 miles west-northwest of Richmond in central Ray County."


The 
Orrick Tornado, rare as it was on a day in January, was not the deadliest. 



That distinction went to a violent twister later in the day in St Louis County across the state.


The F-4 tornado cut a 21-mile long path through the western and northern suburbs of St. Louis, killing three and injuring more than 200 people.




The tornado just missed a direct hit of St. Louis's Lambert airport.

Monday, January 23, 2012

CSW BREAKING: Serious-Injury Crash on West I-435 Near Holmes in South KC-MO

The crash was reported just after 7:30 a.m. Monday morning on westbound I-435 just west of Holmes.




The crashed vehicle is off the north side of the freeway itself- but traffic is being slowed considerably on I-435 west of U.S. 71.


The westbound I-435 ramp from Holmes was closed.




Extrication is being performed on the driver of the crashed vehicle.




That extrication was completed at 7:52 a.m..




The "approximately 25-year-old male driver had multiple injuries was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center in critical condition.




The paramedic told OPR that the driver "rolled his vehicle multiple times and wrapped the vehicle around a tree."




There was no report if any other vehicle was involved in the crash that backed westbound traffic up east of U.S. 71 on I-435 and I-470. 

First Tornado Fatalities of 2012 Occur Near Birmingham AL

The storm system that produced heavy thunderstorms and hail Sunday evening in Metro Kansas City has produced numerous severe weather reports- including at least 21 tornadoes- from the lower Ohio and Mississippi as well as the Tennessee River Valley regions.




The first killer tornadoes of 2012 struck central Alabama in Metro Birmingham around 4 a.m. CST.




Two people are dead in Metro Birmingham- including a 16-year-old female- reports television station WBRC-6.




Shortly after 10 a.m.- Alabama Governor Robert Bentley told WBRC that there were 2 additional "unconfirmed fatalities reported by the Jefferson County EMA-" bringing a possible toll of four dead.




At least 12 people have been injured in Metro Birmingham.




WBRC says that as daylight unfolds across the area- officials are just now able to assess damage and search the rubble caused by at least two twisters that struck the region in the pre-dawn hours.




This same area was hard-hit by tornadoes during the tornado outbreak of April 27- 2010.




A tornado also struck the city of Dickson Tennessee during the overnight hours- producing damage but no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.




The entire area was covered by tornado watches issued by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center

Tornado Strikes Monroe LA With Confirmed Injuries

The tornado struck around noon on Easter Sunday. There is considerable damage repo rted in that northeastern Louisiana city of around 5000...