‘An amazing woman’: Mother died shielding her 15-year-old daughter in bath tub as tornado flattened their home

• Funnel cloud sweeps through downtown Springfield killing four people
  
• First deadly twister in Massachusetts since 1995
  

A mother died as she shielded her 15-year-old daughter in a bath tub as a tornado flattened their Massachusetts home.

Angelica Guerrero, 39, died in her house in West Springfield as she desperately tried to save the lives of her family as the house collapsed on top of them.

The tragic story emerged as the clear up began following the deadly tornado that swept through Massachusetts, killing at least four and leaving more than 200 people injured.

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Tragedy: Mrs Guerrero¿s older daughter wept on Thursday as she returned to the wreckage of the home

Flattened: The house collapsed as the tornado passed through Springfield, Massachusetts

Mrs Guerrero’s older daughter wept on Thursday as she returned to the wreckage of the home.

She was at work when the tornado hit and got a call saying their house was flattened.

She said that her 15-year-old sister had been asleep when the tornado approached, and that their mother ran to wake her and get her into the bathroom, saving her life by sheltering her with her own body.

She said her sister was trapped for two hours, crying for their father, who also was injured.

‘She was saying, “Daddy, help me,” and “Mom isn't talking”.’

Gutted: Houses and trees were damaged in Brimfield, Massachusetts as at least two late-afternoon tornadoes shocked emergency officials with their suddenness and violence

Tumble: An overturned school bus lies in the woods at the Village Green Family Campground in Brimfield, Massachusetts

Police chief Thomas Burke said ‘There is no doubt she saved her daughter’s life.’

He said the 15-year-old girl, who was not identified, remained hospitalized with severe cuts to her legs.

‘When the house came down, she was crushed,’ Mr Burke said

‘They feel the daughter is alive because the mother took the brunt of it.’

When rescue workers arrived, they saw Guerrero's husband trying to pull his daughter out of the rubble, Mr Burke said. He was also hospitalised.

Rescue: Firefighters carry an injured man through debris at the Village Green Family Campground in Brimfield

Clean up: Charlene Meacham tosses a piece of wood at her sister-in-law's leveled home as she helps them salvage belongings in Monson, Massachusetts

Fabiola said her mother always said she would die for her daughter.

‘She was an amazing woman,’ she said.

Remarkable footage today revealed the sheer power of the seven tornadoes that roared through Massachusetts last night, striking its third-largest city.

A video shows towering winds spiralling along the Connecticut river, sucking up water and creating a whirlpool effect before sweeping on to the city of Springfield.

The twisters hit as huge swathes of the country were put on alert for severe thunderstorms, including California, Nevada and much of the East Coast.

Destruction: The tornado made its way over the Connecticut river before striking the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, tearing the roofs of buildings and injuring at least 40 people

Surge: The video shows a funnel cloud moving along the river, sucking up water and creating a whirlpool-like effect. It then swept on to Springfield, where it killed at least four people

This morning rescue teams in Springfield were going from door to door, desperately searching for survivors in a heavily-populated area that hasn't experienced a fatal twister since 1995.

Unstable weather threatened the entire Northeast, bringing tornado watches to Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

And at the same time there was a grim warning for New Yorkers after a storm expert warned the city was one of five long overdue a hurricane, as the season began yesterday.

Golf ball size hail was reported from New York to Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, while thunderstorms produced 60 to 70 miles per hour wind speeds across New England.

The storm sheared off the tops of roofs on Main Street in Springfield, a city of more than 150,000. A mounted video camera captured dramatic footage of a debris-filled funnel as it swept into downtown from the west, then crossed the Connecticut River.

Grief: Three teenage girls sit among the ruins of a house destroyed by yesterday's tornado in Monson, Massachusetts

Clinging on: A man is comforted by a neighbour after a tornado destroyed his home in Monson, Massachusetts

Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency and called up 1,000 National Guardsmen after the storms, which brought scenes of devastation recently wreaked in the South and Midwest to a part of the country more used to snowstorms than twisters.

Today the teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were in the area to help state services assess the damage.

The debris-filled funnel cloud roared through the city at around 4.45pm, felling trees and damaging buildings before heading east.

Horrific damage: U.S. Senator John Kerry picks through the rubble of The First Church of Monson after its steeple was sheered off by the tornado

Torn apart: The rooms of this house in Springfield were left entirely open to the elements after a tornado ripped the front off yesterday

Devastation: The tornado sheered off the roof of this house in Springfield

Destruction: Springfield residents walk past a damaged house, left, and right, debris litters the city centre

Springfield's mayor, Domenic Sarno, said at least two tornadoes touched down in parts of Springfield last night, while officials were investigating reports of two more.

COUNTRY ON ALERT: STORM WARNINGS ACROSS THE U.S.

Huge swathes of the U.S. were put on thunderstorm alert yesterday as the deadliest tornado season since 1953 looks set to continue.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch all along the East Coast, stretching from Maine and Pennsylvania to New York.

It was upgraded to a warning in parts of Massachusetts as seven tornadoes struck the Springfield area, killing four and injuring at least 40.

Golf ball size hail was reported from New York to Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, while thunderstorms produced 60 to 70 miles per hour wind speeds across New England.

Meanwhile forecasters also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Kansas and Nebraska yesterday afternoon and this evening.

Tornado warnings were also in force in northern California, where a twister touched down in a rural area of Yuba County. No damage was reported.

Last night he said: 'We are in triage right now. We are in life-saving mode.'

Governor Patrick said up to 19 communities had reported tornado damage. At least one person died in Springfield, where a falling tree crushed a woman's car.

Two fatalities were reported in Westfield and one in Brimfield, a small town around 20 miles east.

The mayor said at least 40 people were being treated for their injuries in hospital, and five needed surgery. Many more suffered cuts, bruises and scrapes.

Today Governor Patrick described the people of greater Springfield as 'badly shaken' by the tornado, as he joined U.S. senators John Kerry and Scott Brown for a helicopter tour of the area.

Afterwards he described the tornado damage as a 'real mess', but said it was a blessing it had not been any worse.

Mr Brown said he could barely believe the scope of the damage. He said the focus must now be on looking after residents.

The men went on to visit the small town of Monson, where the church's steeple was completely sheered off as the winds tore through, stripping branches from trees and roofs from houses.

The church's vicar, Reverend Robert Marrone, told MassLive: 'I can see the plywood of roofs, and see houses where most of the house is gone. The road that runs up in front of my house... There’s so many trees down, it’s completely impassable.'

From coast to coast: The states marked in red were issued with tornado watches yesterday, while the ones in purple were at risk of severe thunderstorms

Shock: Lightning hits Boston, left. Right, an observer in Springfield took this picture of the oncoming tornado through an office window. Massachusetts had not been hit by a deadly twister since 1995

Mr Kerry picked through the rubble of the church, touching the clock ripped off by the winds.

Elsewhere in the town, which has just 10,000 residents, neighbours hugged each other as they tried to provide comfort to those who had lost their homes.

Speaking of Monson, Governor Patrick said: 'You have to see it to believe it.

Escape: A child runs for cover as bad weather moved back into the area following a tornado touchdown in the South End of Springfield

Destroyed: A smashed car sits next to the South End Community Center, which lost most of its roof in a tornado that touched down in Springfield, Massachusetts

Remains: Bricks and debris that fell from a building lay on top of cars after a report of a tornado in Springfield, Massachusetts

'Houses have been lifted up off their foundations and in some cases totally destroyed or moved several feet.'

Resident Skip Hynd described the scene on the main street in West Springfield.

'It looked like King Kong took a walk through there,' he told ABC News. 'Every side street is just about impassable.'

Torn up: Cars were overturned and left strewn all over the yard when a tornado ripped through the small town of Brimfield, Massachusetts

Smashed to pieces: The destruction left behind at One Stop Towing in Brimfield, after storms tore through Massachusetts last night, killing four people

Emergency: Springfield police officers call into buildings to see if people need help

Shonda Lopez, who was at home when the tornado struck, said: 'Everything started shaking. The whole building was shaking.

The National Grid reported around 50,000 homes were without power, primarily in the Greater Springfield area, after winds brought down power lines.

Witnesses also called police saying they had seen tornadoes in nearby Wilbraham and Agawam.

Thomas Walsh, a spokesman for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, said he was looking out of his window at City Hall at around 4.30pm when he saw the funnel.

Fall: A car sits crushed by a tree on Main Street following a tornado touchdown in West Springfield

Homes: Damaged houses are seen after a tornado swept through the downtown area of Monson, Massachusetts

Is anybody home? A police officer checks on people in a house after a reported tornado struck Springfield

He said: 'I could see this massive cloud of debris floating around in a circular, cylindrical fashion.'

DEADLIEST SINCE 1953: WHY IS THIS YEAR'S TORNADO SEASON SO BAD?

Despite hugely improved storm warnings, this year's tornado season has so far been the deadliest since 1953, with nearly 500 deaths.

More than 300 people were killed in the South and Midwest in a devastating tornado outbreak between April 25 and 28, and 142 died in the Joplin twister earlier this month,

Scientists have blamed a number of factors for the huge death toll, from global warming to urban sprawl.

Marshall Shepherd, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Georgia, said in the past cities have not been hit very frequently.

But he said as cities grow outwards 'you're increasing the size of the dartboard'.

If the Tuscaloosa and Joplin tornadoes had been just a few miles further south on farmland, little would have been heard about them.

People living in mobile homes or in houses without basements are also particularly at risk.

Professor Walker Ashley said he is also becoming concerned about how people respond to tornado warnings.

He said: 'A lot of it is complacency. The population seems to be becoming desensitized to nature. I don't know why.'

He said longer warnings times - produced by better radar - can even produce more deaths, because people think it's a false alarm.

And the twister in Joplin was partly rain-wrapped by a powerful storm, so 'they wouldn't have seen it coming.'

Despite the storm warnings issued in advance, the scale of the twisters caught many residents by surprise.

Massachusetts is typically hit by one or two tornadoes each year, although the most recent one was in 2008.

The last time a lethal twister hit the state was on May 29, 1995, when three people died in great Barrington, near the New York State border.

Its deadliest recorded tornado was in 1953, when 94 people were killed in the Worcester area.

Last night residents in Boston were warned to stay inside as the two volatile supercell storms moved east towards the city, with police ordering everyone off ballfields.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for cities and towns west of Boston, including Worcester, at around 5pm.

It had already issued a less severe tornado watch across most of the East Coast, which was in force until 8pm.

The tornado watch was in force from Maine to Pennsylvania, and covers Philadelphia, Boston and New York City.

It means conditions were favourable for severe thunderstorms and isolated tornadoes, with the possibility of 70mph gusts, dangerous lightning and huge hailstones.

While New Yorkers spent yesterday basking in sunshine as the heatwave continued and the mercury hit 84F, they were warned hurricanes could be on their way.

Dr Rick Knabb marked the beginning of the storm season yesterday with a list of the five cities most overdue a 'significant hit' from a hurricane, including New York and San Diego.

This year experts are expecting the storm season to be busier than usual, including up to 18 named tropical storms, of which three to six will develop into major hurricanes.

Last year was the third-most active season on record, with 19 named storms, of which 12 became hurricanes.

Deadly year: A map showing tornadoes reported across the U.S. so far in 2011

Forecast: This Weather Channel map showing the tornado watch which was in force all along the East Coast until 8pm yesterday

The U.S. escaped the worst of the damage, with only Hurricane Earl posing a serious threat when it hit the East Coast.

OVERDUE A HURRICANE: WHEN WERE THE TOP FIVE LAST HIT?

Dr Knabb issued a list of the top five cities most overdue a significant hurricane.

1. Honolulu, Hawaii

Hawaii's capital has never been hit by a recorded hurricane, but it has had several close calls, most recently in 1992 when Hurricane Iniki struck about 100 miles west of the capital.

2. San Diego, California

The only hurricane ever to hit the city was in October 1858, when powerful winds damaged large areas of the city.

3. New York City, New York

The last time New York was hit by a hurricane was in 1893, when a Category One storm slammed into an area between Coney Island and what is now JFK airport.

Dr Knabb said if a hurricane made landfall in the city, it could create a 30-foot surge in New York Harbor.

4. Savannah, Georgia

The last major hurricane to hit the city was in 1893, when between 1,000 and 2,000 people were killed. But the National Weather Service calls the state a 'sleeping giant' for hurricanes', and the coast is at risk of storm surges.

5. Tampa, Florida

The last time a hurricane hit was in 1921, when a Category Two storm damaged part of the bay area and caused a ten-feet high storm surge.

This year, forecasts have been made more difficult because the El Nino and La Nina effects have been relatively quiet.

These warming and cooling phenomena can either increase the risk of hurricanes. Both are expected to be neutral last year - and the last time that happened was in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

In an article for the Weather Channel, Dr Knabb said the five cities are particularly vulnerable to hurricane damage because their residents may believe they are immune from hurricanes.

He said: 'They also might not have any idea if they’re in an evacuation zone, or might not know where to go if told to evacuate. And they might not have the critical supplies they need to survive the aftermath of a direct hurricane strike.'

He admitted dozens of U.S. cities are vulnerable and said everyone should be 'hurricane prepared'.

According to Dr Knabb, many people living in traditionally 'hurricane-free' cities may not have enough insurance to replace their home if it were to be damaged or destroyed in a storm.

He listed five cities in order of those 'most overdue' a direct hit. Honolulu, in Hawaii, was top, followed by San Diego, California, New York City, Savannah, Georgia and Tampa, Florida.

The last time New York was hit by a hurricane was in 1893, when a Category One storm slammed into an area between Coney Island and what is now JFK airport.

Dr Knabb said if a hurricane made landfall in the city, it could create a 30-foot surge in New York Harbor. He said residents would be told to shelter no higher than the 10th floor of high-rise buildings.

[Source : dailymail.co.uk]