VIDEO-METEORITE RUSSIA

VIDEO-METEORITE RUSSIA. 

Video footage purports to show fragments of a Meteorite coming to Earth over Russia after it explodes in the sky. Videos show trails left by the shards across the sky in the Chelyabinsk region and the destruction left on the area's streets.
 
The meteor that exploded over Russia caused a lot of damage over a wide area. Anthony Mason speaks with the chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for more insight into the rare occurrence; And, Steve Hartman sits with Bill Sherlach who recently received the Presidential Citizen's Medal on behalf of his wife, Mary Sherlach, who was slain in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

HITS CAMPUS-TORNADO MISSISSIPPI CAUSES

A tornado hit Mississippi on Sunday, injuring more than a dozen people and causing widespread damage, including on a college campus.Authorities say that there are no deaths reported so far, and they hope this will remain true. Hattiesburg, where the tornado touched down, has seen extensive damage.

CNN reports that Robert Latham, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, stated:

 “I hope to goodness that when all this is said and done, all we have to do is clean up a mess and that we haven’t lost any lives in this.”
Hattiesburg is home to the University of Southern Mississippi, which suffered to damage to some buildings. There were no reports of injuries on the campus, but university police still declared a state of emergency. They have warned people to stay away from campus until further notice.

United Press International notes that the tornado that hit Mississippi also caused damage to the Oak Grove High School campus. The funnel cloud touched down in northern Lamar County and moved into Forrest County by 5:40 pm EST.

Along with causing damage to buildings, it also took down power lines and flung debris along its path. Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee stated, “There’s quite a few homes without power at this point. Quite a few trees on houses, on cars, that type of thing.”

Hattiesburg resident Sara Lawrence recalled the tornado, saying:
“Within seconds, everything changed. I didn’t feel like there was much notice. I heard the sirens and everything looked OK outside, so I started making preparations to go into the bathroom. And then, next thing I know, all the lights went out, and it got dark outside.”
The storm that spawned the Mississippi tornado also caused tornado warnings in southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama, though there were no other reports of funnel clouds touching down.

SERVICE-MISSISSIPPI TORNADO WEATHER

Hardy Street in front of the University of Southern Mississippi campus is obstructed by debris blown by an apparent tornado in Hattiesburg, Miss., Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013.  
Mississippi Tornado :
Residents shaken by a tornado that mangled homes in Mississippi were waking up Monday to a day of removing trees, patching roofs and giving thanks for their survival. More than a dozen in the state were injured.

Daylight also offered emergency management officials the chance to get a better handle on the damage that stretched across several counties. Gov. Phil Bryant planned to visit hard-hit Hattiesburg, where a twister moved along one of the city's main streets and damaged buildings at the governor's alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. Emergency officials said late Sunday that at least 10 people were injured in surrounding Forrest County and three were hurt to the west in Marion County, but they weren't aware of any deaths.

Among those who felt lucky to be alive was 49-year-old Margie Murchison, who was visiting with a friend when her husband started screaming for them to take shelter from the approaching storm in a nearby culvert. They sprinted out of the house as debris flew around them and made it to the conduit that runs under the road. A tree crashed behind them as they made it to their hiding place.

"For a minute there, that wind was so strong I couldn't breathe," Murchison said.

Said Murchison's friend, 55-year-old Wayne Cassell: "If we had wasted any seconds, we wouldn't have made it."
After the storm passed, there were trees down all around the Murchison home. She said there was part of the roof damaged and leaking. Windows were broken out and the detached garage was leaning.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said it appears a single tornado caused the damage in Forrest, Marion and Lamar counties. Hundreds of homes are damaged in Forrest County, along with a couple dozen in the other two.
Flynn said the sheer scope of the damage was slowing officials' assessment.

"The problem is, it was so strong that there's so much debris that there's a lot of areas they haven't been able to get to yet," he said.

On campus, trees were snapped in half around the heavily damaged Alumni House where part of the roof was ripped away. Windows in a nearby building were blown out, and heavy equipment worked to clear streets nearby in a heavy rain after the worst of the weather had passed.
The university released a statement saying no one was hurt but that it was under a state of emergency, and anyone away from campus should stay away until further notice.

East of campus, 47-year-old Cindy Bullock was at home with her husband and dog, a terrier mix named Vinnie, when she heard the tornado coming. They ran to a hallway and covered their heads. It wasn't long before the windows in the kitchen and bedroom exploded. The storm stripped all the shingles off the roof and left holes in it, while knocking over a large pine tree in the yard.
After dark, the Bullocks were trying to arrange their stuff inside so it wouldn't get wet from the dripping water.

"I just looked out the window and I heard the rumbling. It sounded like a train. We ran to the hall, and the kitchen windows and the windows in the bedroom exploded. It happened pretty fast," she said.

There were large trees blocking the road all through her neighborhood, and several of the houses were hit by falling trees. Her friend was staying with them after the friend's apartment took a direct hit from a falling tree.