Virginia Tornado Injures 200

A Virginia tornado injured over 200 people and caused damage in the cities of Colonial Heights and Suffolk.

Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency yesterday after tornadoes swept through the state on Monday.

The tornado struck just after 4 p.m., damaging Sentara Obici Hospital and wrecking nearby subdivisions and a shopping center.

At least 13 homes were damaged in two downtown subdivisions and in the small town of Driver.

The tornado swept trees onto homes, blocked roads and pushed cars on top of one another before it cut a swath of devastation through Driver, wiping out historic landmarks.

Agencies assisting the post mortem storm include the Virginia departments of Emergency Management, Marine Resources and Transportation and the Virginia State Police.

The Burnetts Mill neighborhood in Suffolk was subordinate to a mandatory evacuation Monday afternoon just after 5 p.m., after the tornado wrecked homes, caused a gas leak and knocked out power.

Devastation was reported at the shopping plaza on Route 10 and Route 58, which was wrecked, while cars in the parking lot were reported to be on top of one another in the wake of the storm.

The two roads were blocked for much of the night as state police from all over Virginia arrived on scenes to assist while trees and abandoned and wrecked vehicles were removed.