Woman Dies Shielding Daughter During Tornado

Twisters devastate parts of Springfield, and other areas in Mass.

Angelica Guerrero, 39, of West Springfield used her body to shield her 15-year-old daughter in a bathtub in their apartment. The daughter survived. Angelica was killed by the debris from the falling house, police said.  

On Thursday, Angelica's other daughter, Fabiola, went back to the house on Union Street where her mother, father and sister were trapped. She wanted to collect what little was left of the family's personal belongings.

It was an emotional trip.

"My sister said she was stuck in the bathtub for two hours and was screaming for my dad to come help her. Then she screamed out 'Moms not talking anymore,'" Fabiola said through her tears.

Her sister is being treated at Baystate Medical Center and is expected to be OK. 

Angelica Guerrero is one of at least three people killed as a series of tornadoes swept across Massachusetts on Wednesday.

One other person was killed in West Springfield and another in Brimfield, authorities said. A Springfield death previously blamed on storms might have been an unrelated heart attack, Gov. Deval Patrick said on Thursday.

Public health officials said about 200 people sought medical treatment for storm-related injuries.

Springfield, Monson, Westfield and other areas in Massachusetts took the brunt of the storms. Connecticut was spared the majority of severe weather,

Officials from the National Weather Service have been surveying damage and three tornadoes have been confirmed in Massachusetts. There are reports of many more. We could learn on Friday how strong the storms that left a 40-mile path of destruction actually were.  

The wallet of a Monson woman was found in Milton, Gov. Patrick said on Thursday. That's more than 80 miles away.  

There were reports of cars being flipped over in the Springfield area and a tractor trailer was turned over on the Memorial Bridge.  

Some roads remain shut down and that is affecting people who travel to Massachusetts from Connecticut. Routes 19 and 20 in Brimfield, Massachusetts are closed indefinitely. Those two routes, which Connecticut drivers often use, are impassable.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and activated 1,000 National Guard troops to help with the rescue and cleanup after the storms.

One tornado touched down in Monson, Massachusetts and continued along Interstate-84 in Sturbridge. The First Church of Monson was heavily damaged by the tornado and the municipal building, which houses the police station, also took a direct hit.

A tornado touched down in Springfield around 4:30 p.m., leaving buildings damaged and trees torn from the ground. The storm destroyed eighty-eight homes in West Springfield alone.

Sen. John Kerry said it was lucky that it came crashing down onto the grass without causing injuries.

Darrin Tulley, a Canton resident, took amazing video from an office on State Street in Springfield, Mass. You can see it here.

Below, we have posted video from YouTube.

A tornado watch remained in effect for parts of Connecticut until 8 p.m.

Keep up on the forecast here.

When there are severe weather alerts, they will be posted here.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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