Globe: Sightseers causing problems for emergency crews in Newton County

People wanting to see the damage caused by tonight's tornadoes are keeping emergency crews in Newton County from reaching their destination on a timely basis, according to Sheriff Ken Copeland:

He said the path of the storm, from Iris Road and BB Highway to Granby, may have been as much as a mile wide in some areas.

The sheriff said he knew of two deaths “and I don’t know how many injured.”

He said Newton County ambulance had set up a triage center in the area and in some cases, emergency crews were using pickup trucks to bring out wounded. He said several injured also were taken out by helicopter.

Copeland said emergency crews had trouble getting in and out of the area because of people who had come to see the damage. He roads crowded by sightseers also had made it difficult for utility crews trying to get into the area to restore power.

“If it’s people coming to check on relatives I can understand,” he said. “But other people just coming down to look are making it hard for emergency crews to get in, and we’re having to use people for traffic control when we they need to be out helping the victims.”