Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-26
Tornado Target
Area Extended
TO II States
By the Associated Press

broadened to include at least II
States last night as what the
United States Weather Bureau
termed "the worst tornado
week" in its history drew to q
close.
Reports of twisters came in
rapidly at nightfall, not only
from storm battered sections of
the Southwest but from Wiscon-
sin. South Dakota. North Dakota
and Minnesota.
Alerts were issued for parts
Of Iowa. Illinois and Michigan.
and remained in force for Texas
and Arkansas.
Near Bloomington in South
western Wisconsin, a series OF
Itwisters destroyed farm build
ings, but caused no reported
casualties.
Rural Areas Damaged
Damage in rural areas also
was reported from a tornado
that struck about dusk near
Maple Lake. MINI. Others
dipped harmlessly into open
country near Huron and Water
town. s. OAK. and Fargo.
N. Oak.
A meteorologist charting the
storms in the United States
Weather Bureau at Chicago
said: This is the worst week
of tornadoes in Weather Bureau
history" At least q score Of
tornadoes hit Texas alone Fri
day and others roared over the
State yesterday.
A tornado killed four persons
Friday night near Lawton, Okla.
Twisters early in the week took
hHat least 50 lives and injured some
800 other persons in Missouri
and Kansas. Damage was in
estimable.
The twisters that swept over
Texas and Arkansas earlier yes
Iterday caused damage, but no
reported casualties. And the
storms merely added to the
weather woes Of the area.
Rivers Leave Banks
Torrential rains and ! hail
storms dashed sections Of Texas.
oklahoma and Arkansas. Swol-
len rivers and streams left their
banks. flooding highways. streets.
underpasses and lowlying resi-
dental areas in dozens Of cities.
The Arkansas twister struck
early yesterday at Kibler, about
six miles east Of the heavily
populated Van Buren-Fort Smith
area. A house and several barns
we're destroyed and several other
homes were damaged. No one
was reported injured. however.
The Texas highway patrol
sighted tornado near German.
Tex, about 2 pm, but there
were no reports Of injuries or
damage. Other twisters were
sighted near Ranger and LAban.
Tex.
Tornadoes were reported over
parts of the mid-continent every
day during the last week except
Sunday. The Weather Bureau
in Washington said So tornadoes
were reported on Friday alone
swelling the total so far this
year to $50. The national an
nual average for the last II
years has been 200. Weather
Bureau sources attributed some
Of the increase to better detec-
ton methods.
Families Are Routed
Flood waters drove more than
400 families from their homes
In Fort Worth. Tex. Rains up
to 5la inches in Oklahoma yes
terday sent Lake Texoma. Lake
Tenkiller. Hulah Lake. Lake
Wister and Lake Hepburn to
their highest levels in history.
Thousands Of acres Of crop
lands have been flooded at Fort
Smith. Ark. The Arkansas River
is expected to crest there tomor-
row at "a feet-more than 10
feet above flood stage.
In Southern Missouri and two
Northeast Arkansas counties,
some 100000 acres Of farmland
was reported under water. DAM
age was estimated in the mil
lions Of dollars.
Most Of the flooding occurred
in the Missouri "bootheel"
counties, where recent heavy
rains have sent rivers ana
streams over levees.