Twisters hits Va., 200 injuries reported

SUFFOLK, Va., April 28 (UPI) -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency Monday after tornadoes and severe storms pounded the state, leaving at least 200 people injured.

The governor directed state agencies to do whatever was necessary to help those hit by the storms, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

One twister hit near downtown Suffolk, leveling dozens of homes, damaging scores more and injuring at least 200 people, The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk reported.

A Suffolk police officer told the newspaper the town of Driver "is a disaster area." Police said buildings were damaged near Sentara Obici Hospital, which sustained some broken windows in its emergency room.

"There are trees down everywhere and I've seen a half dozen vehicles flipped over," said Richard Hicks of Suffolk. "It's a total mess out here. There are people running around and others just standing around crying. All I can hear are sirens."

Dale Gauding, a Sentara hospital spokesman, said some patients were relocated, but there were no injuries and the hospital was functioning as normal.

"They saw it coming," said Gauding, who was en route to the hospital. "I'm told that there was some debris."

Robert Brinkley of Harrell & Hill Funeral Home in Suffolk said the roofs were blown off "many, many houses."

"There is pretty much a lot of devastation here" in the Saddle Heights neighborhood, he said.

There also were reports of at least 18 people hurt and widespread damage in Colonial Heights, and other parts of southeastern Virginia, the Times-Dispatch said. The damage appeared to have been caused by multiple tornadoes, the newspaper said.