Article: Missouri Tornado - Joplin Storm Kills Dozens: Article Reading & Comprehension Cloze

Article Reading & Comprehension Cloze
Article: Missouri tornado - Joplin storm kills dozens

At least 89 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a tornado tore through the city of Joplin in the US state of Missouri, officials have said. Joplin official Mark Rohr said the storm cut a path six miles (10km) long. Homes and businesses were flattened and a damaged hospital had to be evacuated. Power lines are down and telephone connections are largely cut off. The Governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, has declared a state of emergency and warned that more storms are on the way. Cities in three other Midwestern states have also been badly affected. At least one person was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last month, tornadoes and storms killed at least 350 people in Alabama and six other southern states. 'Nothing left' Jeff Lehr, a reporter for the Joplin Globe newspaper, said he was upstairs in his home when the storm hit the city of about 50,000 at about 1730 (2230 GMT) on Sunday but was able to make his way to his basement. "There was a loud huffing noise, my windows started popping. I had to get downstairs, glass was flying. I opened a closet and pulled myself into it," he told the Associated Press. "Then you could hear everything go. It tore the roof off my house, everybody's house. I came outside and there was nothing left." Another resident, Tom Rogers, said his house had been destroyed. "It's just gone. We heard the tornado sirens for the second time. All of a sudden, everything came crashing down on us. We pulled our heads up and there was nothing. It was gone," he told the Joplin Globe. Much of the city's south side is reported to have been levelled, with churches, schools, businesses and homes reduced to rubble. Power and telephone lines across the city were also downed, and many vehicles overturned. Nearly 100 patients at the St John Regional Medical Center in Joplin were having to be evacuated from after the hospital took a direct hit. A resident living 45 miles (70km) away said debris from the hospital had landed in his yard, including medical supplies and X-rays. At a pre-dawn news conference on Monday outside the St John Regional Medical Center, Mr Rohr announced that the number of confirmed dead was 89. He said the tornado had cut a path nearly six miles long and more than half a mile (800m) wide through the city centre, and that tornado sirens had given residents about a 20-minute warning. Fire chief Mitch Randles said the tornado "cut the city in half" and estimated that 25 to 30% was damaged.
A door-to-door search of the damaged area will begin later on Monday morning, but progress will be slow because of the danger of downed power lines and gas leaks, which caused fires around the city overnight. "We will recover and come back stronger than we are today," Mr Rohr said. Earlier, the Red Cross opened a shelter at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin for victims, spokeswoman Joanne Muir told the BBC. It had also sent an emergency response vehicle with some supplies such as blankets, cots, water and food to the area, she said. Continued risk US President Barack Obama - on his way to the Republic of Ireland - sent his condolences to those affected. "Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri, as well as communities across the Midwest today," the president said in a statement. "We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbours at this very difficult time." Governor Nixon said storms had caused extensive damage across Missouri. "They continue to pose significant risk to lives and property," he said in a statement. "As a state, we are deploying every agency and resource available to keep Missouri families safe, search for the missing, provide emergency medical care, and begin to recover." he added. He warned that the storms were not finished. "I urge Missourians to keep a close eye on the latest weather information and to follow the instructions and warnings of emergency personnel as these deadly storms continue to move through our state," he said.
Fill in the blanks with the correct words, WITHOUT referring to the article. At least 89 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a tornado (1)__________________ through the city of Joplin. Homes and businesses were flattened and a damaged hospital had to be evacuated. Power lines are down and telephone connections are largely (2)__________________ off. A state of emergency was (3)________________. More storms are on the way. Jeff Lehr, a reporter, said he was upstairs in his home when the storm (4)_________________ the city on Sunday but was able to make his way to his basement. There was a loud huffing (5)_______________, my windows started popping. I had to get downstairs, glass was flying. I opened a closet and pulled myself into it," he told the Associated Press. "Then you could hear everything go. It tore the roof off my house, everybody's house. I came outside and there was (6)_________________ left." Another resident, Tom Rogers, said his house had been destroyed. "It's just gone. We (7)_______________ the tornado sirens for the second time. All of a sudden, everything came crashing down on us. We pulled our heads up and there was nothing. It was gone," he said. Much of the city's south side is reported to have been levelled, with churches, schools, businesses and homes (8)_________________ to rubble. Power and telephone lines across the city were also downed, and many vehicles overturned.
Complete the crossword puzzle. All the answers can be found in the article.
13T 1 0 R N 4 A D O 5 16 20 17 14 3 19 2 18
7 8
15
10
11
12
Across 1. A cupboard 2. Show extreme courage and admired by many 3. The tornado struck without ________. Everyone was caught off guard. 4. Moved out 5. Fatal 6. To move people or resources to where they are ready for use. 7. A spoken or written answer. There was no ____. 8. Medical ____ were unable to reach the affected town. 9. Dwellers 10. Praise 11. To tell officially about a decision or plan. 12. The extensive damage continues to _____ significant risk to lives and property
Down 10 A large official meeting. 14 A dangerous situation. 15 An unintended crack through which liquid, gas, etc escapes. 16 Remains of something destroyed. 17 Covering a large area. 18 Sympathy expressed when someone has died. 19 A place where the sick is treated. 20 A loud sound that acts as a signal or warning.
Sentence Construction Fill in the blanks, WITHOUT referring to the crossword puzzle. 1. I opened my _________________ only to find lots of cockroaches crawling around. 2. Her _________________ act to save her family was admired by many. Within minutes, the massive tsunami struck Haiti without _________________. Everything was destroyed in its path. 3. The residents _________________ their homes as soon as they heard the emergency siren. 4. Piranhas are known to be extremely _________________ as they enjoy human flesh and swim freely in the sea. 5. One of the richest men in the world, Mister Vince MacMahon, _________________ hundreds of workers, architects and engineers to build a new bungalow for his family. 6. I received an encouraging _________________ to my advertisement. 7. We cannot guarantee adequate _________________ of raw materials. 8. Being the first few _________________ to live at the newly-built flat, I gleefully ran around the flat by myself. 9. Mary's teacher _________________ her on her good progress. This made Mary's face radiate with joy. 10. As soon as Mdm Toh _________________ that there was no supplementary class on Tuesday, we all jumped, delirious with joy. 11. The massive killing of sharks for their fins _________________ a threat to their survival. 12. A _________________ always leaves a trail of destruction every time it strikes a city. 13. It is not advisable for the students to be _________________ during an emergency exercise. 14. The oil tanker on the ship is _________________. We have to repair it quickly. 15. "It was horrible! I was trapped under the _________________ for a few hours and almost suffocated," recounted a survivor of the earthquake. 16. The raging/ferocious fire/inferno caused an _________________ damage to the entire estate/neighbourhood/village. 17. I sent her my deepest _________________ after her father passed away. 18. There were not enough beds in the _________________ after the tornado. 19. A police car raced past my house with a blaring _________________.

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