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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Deadly Tornadoes Hit Midwest

Aired May 5, 2003 - 05:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get you up to date on those deadly tornadoes. Let's go live to Gladstone, Missouri now and to Eric Chaloux.
Gladstone is near Kansas City, right?

ERIC CHALOUX, KCTV-TV REPORTER: That's right. We are in one of the suburbs just north of Kansas City. It's been a very long night for residents at this community just north of Kansas City.

Take a look right over here. You see this mailbox, it's actually still filled with mail. It's supposed to be picked up this morning. It actually snapped off a house right over here.

I'm going to step out of the way so you can get a better look. This is actually towards the tail end of one of the four tornadoes that whipped through the Kansas City area about 4:00 yesterday afternoon. You can see roofs ripped off of homes. This tree just smashed through the front of one of the homes here.

Now again, we're in the town of Gladstone, Missouri, just north of Kansas City. Overnight, about 15 injuries have been reported here in the Gladstone area. It's a very eerie sight as you drive down the streets, most of this community here is in the dark. We're driving over power lines. Crews have been working to restore power here.

Now let's take a look over here. You see this red X up here on this house, right on this garage door, the red X, that means this house has been condemned, pretty much every house along this block. There are probably about 25 homes in this cul de sac completely destroyed for them here. Those red Xs marking they are condemned.

Again, we had about 15 injuries just in this part of northern Kansas City. There was one reported fatality, an 82-year-old man in Kansas City, Kansas. It's been a very long night for residents here.

Now where we are they haven't been letting residents in. About 10:00 last night, they actually asked residents to leave. Very soon, at sunup, they're going to let residents come back in and again, take a look at what's left of their home.

Also, later this morning, Governor Bob Holden, Missouri's governor, will be back out surveying the damage. He was up here in the northland (ph) last night taking a look with state emergency officials, checking to see if any of these areas could be designated as counties of disaster. So that, for right now, is the latest just north of Kansas City. I'm Eric Chaloux, back to you.

COSTELLO: Yes, Eric, a few questions for you.

CHALOUX: Sure.

COSTELLO: Those homes don't look terribly damaged, but the wind probably knocked them off of their foundation. A question for you, did people get adequate warning that this thing was coming through?

CHALOUX: It all started about 3:00 yesterday afternoon, the sirens went off just east of here in Leavenworth County. Most people -- it's been amazing just driving around. Again, one reported fatality. We were on the Kansas side of the state line earlier this morning, homes completely knocked off their foundations. Where we are right now, you could see mostly the roofs have been ripped off, a lot of windows shattered, but it's just amazing.

We talked to one man who spent the night in his motor home in front of his house. And he just cried inside of his motor home saying, you know, my prayers were answered, I'm alive. His house is gone, but he's alive.

COSTELLO: Yes, understand.

Eric Chaloux, from KCTV, thanks very much, reporting live from Gladstone, Missouri this morning.

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