Tornado Hits Colorado, Causes Injuries and Destruction

A small town near the border between Colorado and Kansas was hit by a powerful tornado late Wednesday evening.

Holly, Colorado is feeling the impact of the storm after reports of houses being demolished and more than a dozen residents requiring medical care for injuries sustained in the dangerous tornado. It is not know as of yet if any deaths have occurred and the conditions of victims hasn't been released.

The twister hit the small town near Main Street which is just a block south of highway 50 near the edge of the state, bordering Kansas. Witnesses have reported that the tornado occurred around 8:00 p.m. So far what is known is that the tornado stayed on the ground for about 10 miles, knocking down several houses and hurting bodies along the way.

One home was a manufactured house and was reportedly "blown up" as a result of the massive wind power. Trees came down and dirt and loose objects blew around trashing the area.

A few other homes were hit and witnesses say they saw several ambulances transporting 3-4 people each rush to the local hospital in Lamar County.

The tornado came from the South and went up North, hitting the city's central park along its path. Cheyenne Street is one that has been named as seeing the worst of the storm.

A nursing home had a window blown out but reported no structural damage to the building frame. The severe storm did scare the 35 residents inside at the time but no injuries occurred.

The official count of homes and building damaged or destroyed has not yet been calculated. Some residents came home to find their house completely gone while other's had roofs or walls ripped down but most of their contents survived somehow.

Colorado is not known like Kansas is for having a Tornado season but even the mountain areas towards the west have experienced super strong winds Wednesday and Tuesday. It could have been part of the storm coming through and dark clouds, funneling winds are something to watch out for and always consider a possibility.

Emergency workers are asking larger Denver area hospitals to send helicopters and medical professionals to help evaluate the situation as the extent of damage is not yet known.

More information regarding victims who have been injured will be available Thursday as well as the amount of damage the storm construed. The small town of Holly, Colorado will start the clean up process and begin to get over the initial shock of Mother Natures disaster that hit too close to home.

Manny Gonzales. "Tornado strikes Holly, Colo." Denverpost

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