Virginia ILs - Hope everyone's OK

Storms leave 200 injured in Virginia, officials say



(CNN) -- Virginia officials said more than 200 people were injured as severe storms swept across the southeastern part of the state Monday, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency.
<!--startclickprintexclude--> This Suffolk, Virginia, house was destroyed by an apparent tornado Monday.








At least 200 people were injured in Suffolk when a tornado destroyed several homes and businesses, said Bob Spieldenner of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
The storm hit the 138-bed Sentara Obici Hospital, though Spieldenner said the facility was still operational and accepting patients.
A second storm, possibly a tornado, struck Colonial Heights -- about 60 miles northwest, near Richmond -- injuring at least 18 people, Spieldenner said.
Gov. Tim Kaine declared a Virginia-wide state of emergency as hazardous weather continued through the central part of the state.
The twister touched down just before 4 p.m. ET in Suffolk and plowed its way east into Norfolk, damaging scores of homes, stores and cars and downing dozens of trees and power lines, said National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson.
<!--endclickprintexclude--> Video footage from the scene showed roofs torn off homes, cars flipped over, trees snapped in two and a caved-in section of a newly constructed shopping center.
Furniture, fences and mounds of other debris were tossed in streets, parking lots and lawns.
A tornado warning over the area remained in effect Monday evening.
Jeff Judkins, the city's emergency management coordinator, said there also were reports of people trapped inside cars. It's the worst damage he's seen in the area, he said.
<!--endclickprintexclude--> An emergency shelter will be established by Monday night, Suffolk spokeswoman Dana Woodson said.
Officials initially reported a fatality, but later determined that it was unrelated to the storm, Woodson said.