Four tornados tore through southeast Colorado early this morning, destroying a hog farm and damaging or wrecking 10 homes, and terrorizing residents of Kiowa, Prowers and Bent counties who could hear fierce winds bearing down on them but could not see where they were coming from.
National Weather Service meteorologist in charge Jennifer Stark said Pueblo forecasters realized Thursday afternoon that conditions were perfect for tornados, and began issuing warnings that the powerful weather could come after midnight, which is especially dangerous because most people are sleeping.
“It’s highly unusual that a tornado strikes after midnight,” Stark said. “The last time it happened in Kiowa County was on April 30, 1942.”
Two of the tornados were rated EF2, which means they had winds speeds as high as 135 mph. One of those touched down 10 miles southwest of Lamar, destroying a hog farm and 18 buildings on the structure. No animals were in the building.
The other one was 2-miles northeast of Eads.
An EF1 tornado, in which wind speeds ranged from 86-111 mph, touched down 2 miles southeast of Lamar.
That twister etched a 12-mile swath in the landscape, stripping trees, felling communications towers and destroying two houses, including the modular home where Randy Alba, 52, and his wife Lisa, 51, and their 19-year-old son, Randall, were sleeping.
Randy said he was awakened just before the storm struck. At first, it was nearly silent. Soon objects were pelting the side of his home. And then came a massive wind that blew the ceiling and walls of his home off of its foundation.
“It was nasty and scary,” he said. “It happened so fast. That fierce wind just blew us right out of the trailer.”
Lisa Alba suffered a black eye and bruises on her body, but no broken bones.
Randall’s prize possession, a 1994 Chevy Z-71 pickup he purchased four months ago, was hurled 75-feet from its parking spot near the house.
“I can replace a $4,500 truck,” Randall said, “as long as my mom and dad are here.”
Five structures were destroyed in Kiowa County, including a church unused for years.
At least two people were treated at medical centers for minor injuries and released. Other injured people didn’t require treatment, emergency officials said. No critical injuries or deaths are known to have occurred.
Power outages are widespread and expected to last up to 24 hours.
In Kiowa County, the tornado ripped off the roof and crushed the walls of Josh and Therisa Brown’s trailer in the tiny settlement of Chivington, 13-miles east of Eads.
Therisa Brown said they almost lost every possession, but were still grateful because the couple, their two little daughters, family dog and a friend staying with them were not seriously hurt.
Brown said her girls, Savannah, 3, and Cheyenne, 1, were scared but determined to bounce back. They tracked down their shoes, Brown said, and Savannah said she was going to “rebuild the house with my pink hammer.”
The Brown’s friend, Lindsey Snider, was briefly trapped under a fallen wall in the living room, but, although unconscious for a time, she said, also escaped with minor injuries. She was treated and released.
A second home north of Chivington was damaged, and a semi on Highway 96 near Chivington was blown over, but no injuries were reported in those incidents, according to a Kiowa County Division of Emergency Management release.
In Prowers County, the tornado touched down at about 2:30 a.m. 8 miles south of Lamar near Highway 287, Cook said. Sheriff’s deputies and Colorado state troopers spotted it. Warning sirens had been activated, Cook said, but the twister took out a power station and sirens were lost after a short time.
Power outages were expected to continue through the day. Power poles and fences were reported down in many places, Cook said, but he had no early reports of damage to wind turbines in the area.
The Colorado Division of Emergency Management reported that a tornado or tornadoes were reported on the ground in Baca, Prowers, Bent, Kiowa and Kit Carson counties. Sheriff’s offices in Baca and Kit Carson counties said they had received no reports of tornado or wind damage there.
Authorities are asking that anyone not involved in emergency response stay out of affected areas.
The Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross, which dispatched five teams to help stricken families around the area, expect to begin operations in the area this afternoon, spokeswoman Catherine Barde said.
Before the outbreak, conditions for tornadoes had appeared “marginal,” weather service spokesman Patrick Cioffi said.
Severe thunderstorm warnings for several areas of southeastern Colorado had been issued during much of the afternoon and into the night. There were heavy rains, winds and golf-ball-size hail reported.
The first tornado warning — for Baca County — came at 12:46 a.m., said NWS meteorologist Paul Wolyn in Pueblo. The first warning for Bent and Prowers counties was issued at 1:25 a.m., he said.
“It was a potent storm for the middle of the night. Tornadoes don’t typically hit then in Colorado,” NWS forecaster Kathy Torgerson said. “We think there were two or three tornadoes, but there could have been only one.”
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
