Tornado damages Arkansas town, storm hits Midwest

LITTLE ROCK, Ark, Feb 25 (Reuters) At least one tornado touched down in Dumas, Arkansas, injuring a number of people and destroying much of the small town's business district, while a strong winter storm moved across Colorado and into the Midwest.

A line of thunderstorms and at least one and possibly two tornadoes struck yesterday at about 3 p m in Dumas, about 135 km southeast of Little Rock.

''We have lots of injuries, lots. But no reports of fatalities thus far. That's something of a miracle,'' said Tina Owens, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

''Most of the businesses along the town's main corridor have been destroyed, and a number of homes immediately behind those businesses have been destroyed as well,'' she said.

An unidentified woman told a TV station that she and several friends were in a store when the storm hit.

''We all gathered in the center of the store and got down on the floor and covered our heads and prayed. The noise was incredible and I thought, 'This is it I'm gonna die.' But we all made it,'' she said.

Arkansas Lt Gov Bill Halter requested National Guard troops be dispatched to the area.

Severe weather also hit Colorado, where fierce winds and blowing snow were blamed for a 35-car pileup east of Denver early yesterday, said Mindy Crane, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Crane said four or five minor injuries were reported.

The storm forced the closure of a 240-km stretch of Interstate 70 east of Denver to the Kansas border, and it remained closed late yesterday afternoon, Crane said.

''We are still experiencing 80-96 kph winds that are creating whiteout conditions,'' Crane said.

The storm was moving east and the National Weather Service said northern Illinois and northwest Indiana would be hit with a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow by tomorrow.

Wisconsin will take the brunt of the storm, with a blizzard warning in effect for parts of the state, including Milwaukee, the Weather Service reported.

Seven people in Wisconsin died from traffic accidents related to the storm, which is expected to drop 7 to 10 inches of snow on the state, the Milwaukee Journal reported.

In the Chicago area, an ice storm warning was in effect until 6 a m CST today.

Airports in the Chicago area prepared for the storm, canceling some 230 flights out of O'Hare International Airport and 70 flights at Midway Airport as of 7 p m CST yesterday, said Wendy Abrams, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Aviation Department.

United Airlines spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the company had begun canceling flights by early afternoon and by 7 p m CST all United flights into O'Hare and Midway were canceled, she said.

Abrams said United was the only airline to cancel all its flights. ''The remainder of flights are on time for both airports,'' she said.

Urbanski said United's cancellation policy was designed to keep customers safe at home rather than stuck in an airport or on an airplane.

''We recover from storms more quickly,'' she said.

REUTERS SY KN0851