field? no, this is the size that flew by earth with no impact. the astroid that just passed earth was this side. if we had something like this hit earth, the impact truly would be catastrophic, a huge impact and that's why nasa is watching the skies so carefully to see if there is a way to avoid such a problem in the future. >> thank you, tom. here is what we know as the sun comes up in areas devastated by the tornados, a report of as many as 17 tornadoes, and that's from the national weather service, and cnn weather says about 23 possibly, touching down in several states. in oklahoma, it's dejavu unfortunately for that area in oklahoma city. five deaths being blamed on the storms, including a mother and

her child. as morning breaks, we may get a new report of the injuries and damages there. >> now, there is a new problem and that's flooding. the same storms that brought in the tornados also brought 12 inches of rain in places like moore, oklahoma. and residents are being told to stay inside because of the threats. let's go to union city now to continue our coverage. george howell is there this morning. >> george, union city was one of the hardest hit communities in the storm. how much notice did residents there have before they could take cover? >> alison, you talk to people out here and it sounds like just a matter of minutes. you know, we just spoke to the family -- we spoke to chris merit. his mother and father lived in this home. chris said he called his mom and dad and said look outside, there is rotation. they also checked the local

affiliates and they looked outside and saw it and got out of the way and went to a nearby fire station. they came back to the home to look at what was left here, and another tornado was forming at that time. they had to get out of the way again. so really a matter of minutes with this storm system that really blossomed and developed and continued to grow, and just cause major damage for several hours. >> it's a sombering thing to think about and to see all your memories just tossed about. you know. everything from your childhood on up. >> reporter: we were talking a minute ago, you are saying the bottom line, nobody was in there. >> yeah, everybody is okay and that's the main thing. >> reporter: that was chris merit there talking about what it was like to come back and look at this home.

the most important thing, his family, his mother and father were able to escape. let's take an up close and personal look at exactly how strong this tornado was. you see right there where the storm was so strong, the winds so strong, it knocked the bricks off the side of the house, tore a hole in the top of the roof, and i want to take you over here, this is where most of the damage happened. this used to be upstairs. this is where chris says that he lived his senior year upstairs. that's gone. and a lot of the furniture there, it's down here. i see a bed here, and i see a lot of wood and debris. all the things that used to be upstairs. chris tells me when he got back there, he had to get up there to turn the water off because it was causing flooding into the home. you look at something like this and you really get a sense of how strong the tornado was. i want you to pan over here and see this.

we will reposition so you can see more of it. look over there. just across of what used to be the fence over there, what used to be a home, it's gone. what used to be another home is gone. you can go down the street and count them. this house was sort of the lucky house. it's still standing. this is where chad meyers said he saw the tornado that came through here, the same tornado that crossed over i-40, and we passed through the debris field from the tornado and we saw semis that were knocked over and they looked like boxes that were knocked over. you get a sense of how strong this storm was as it came through the area. >> yeah, we certainly do. george howell, thank you. >> the sun is up and we will see more of the damage there in the el reno community and union city. and in el reno, that's where nick valencia is there this morning. the sun is up now and what do you see? >> reporter: the sun is just starting to come up and we are

getting a sense of what went through here last night. we are seeing a lot of downed trees, and a lot of debris scattered along the roadside. if you look behind me, this is the kcanadian valley technical center. it looks like mangled metal that came off the roof. so far the sheriff's office said they are expected to release new information 8:30 local time, and it's in a pretty rule area. there's a lot of wide open space. we did see semis overturned and we saw first responders tending to those, and earlier when we got here and the sun was still down we saw a sheriff's vehicle

using a flashlight to look into the communities and it was very dark, with the exception of our news crew and a couple other news crews parked alongside of us, it was pitch dark. but so far it looks like this community could have escaped something that really had the power to cause a lot more damage here, but that gives you a sense of what we are looking at right now. >> is this a densely populated area? or is it more country like? >> no, alison, it definitely looks more country like. there is this building right here right behind us. and looking out into the fields here, it's just a lot of wide open space. our photo journalist here can pan and you can see a parking lot and you see a structure in the distance there that looks to be partially collapsed if not entirely, but it just -- it

doesn't look like there is that many people in this community. it's way different from what we saw on may 20th, what we saw here a week and a half ago in moore, oklahoma, which was, you know, a suburb of oklahoma city, a lot more densely populated and a lot more subdivisions. at least in the area that we are in, and the road that we drove up to, there's just a lot of wide open space. that's a good thing. >> nick valencia, thank you. thousands of folks are in the dark in the midwest this morning. power is out for more than 12,000 homes and businesses. i will show you the breakdown here. missouri has 89,000, and oklahoma as 86,204 outages, and illinois has 31,000, and arkansas has more than 3,000 without power. and there are more than 1,000 outages in kansas. indiana has about 500 who are sitting in the dark. >> this is not over. oklahoma to indiana. more potentially dangerous

thunderstorms with the flash floods and winds and possibly hail. still a major threat. let's go to cnn severe weather center and meteorologist, karen mcguiness. what is the threat now. i know the wind was the threat and we talked about the rain. who is under the gun and what is the worst we are seeing? >> it's a multilayered event, as you well know. we saw the tornados and the freak lightning and hail. now we are looking at the flooding. but the severe weather threat as far as the potential for tornado activity is not over. however, it's greatly diminished from what we saw yesterday. we knew we were in a moderate risk, and we knew that oklahoma was going to be in that bullseye. pretty much from interstate 40 south. this is where we have huge storms being reported. the rainfall coming down, that's another thing we have to deal with. in oklahoma city, we saw a month's worth of rainfall in less than 24 hour period.

the same for st. louis. the rivers continue to rise. somebody asked me, how many tornadoes did we see yesterday. we know about three big ones. the one at el reno, and union city, homes flattened there. and one a little further than oklahoma city. but actually there were 23 tornadoes. those were unfiltered reports. we will have to see if any of those overlap. the national weather service is going to send out a survey team and they will assess just how strong these tornadoes were. ef-5, that was in moore, oklahoma, on may 20th. the much cooler air on the northern edge, and you get low level rotation and temperatures that were over 100 degrees right around oklahoma city. and now here are the paths, the el reno one along interstate 40, and one to the south and one to the southeast of oklahoma city, and we will have to assess the track as well as the intensity as we go throughout the afternoon. now the big thing that we have

to watch is for the potential for severe weather all the way from the ohio river valley extending down towards the arklatex, and that's texas, arkansas and oklahoma. and already 200 plus tornadoes reported. june is almost as bad and we are making up for lost time because it was a while before the severe weather season really started. they were close enough to feel the wind and the debris. >> go! go! no, don't turn, no. >> amazing video from inside that vehicle and what they were driving through. we will tell you more and show you more on what it's like to be a storm chaser. >> go, brett, go! >> just go, get around him, man!

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you know, so much of the amazing video we have been seeing from the tornadoes, a lot of it comes from storm chasers, people that drive toward the storm instead of seeking shelter. >> brandon sullivan is one of them and this is what he and his team ran into in union city, oklahoma. >> oh, my goodness! oh, my goodness! oh, no. man! just continuous vortices here. just continuous vortices here. brett, turn the car around! let's get ready. brett, go! as fast as you can. turn right and go! brett, go now!

hurry! 40 is not enough.

>> we okay? >> yeah. >> you are fine. >> duck down! duck down! go forward if you can. you are good.

drive. oh, [ bleep ]. go! go! no, don't turn, no. go south. brent, if you don't go south we're going to die! go, brent, go! just go. get around him, man. >> i can't! are we okay? >> yes, just go! >> are we okay? >> yes, just drive south! you are fine. >> it's blowing me off the road. >> that's fine, dude. just go! >> i can't stay on the road. >> you're fine! >> are we okay? >> yes.

you are fine. get down. duck down! duck down! drive forward, if you can. you are good. drive -- >> every time i see that video, the same reaction. i do get the chills. it's scary and we talked to sullivan, the guy making the noise, and he said there were a few intense moments where he actually put his seat belt on. >> yeah, he said they were close to the storm and that's why you are seeing that reaction, and part of it is the necessity of the sound and the adrenaline, and he was there with his roommate and driver, and then a guy that just wanted to see a storm. he has been doing this since he was 14 and he will continue to

do it. >> yeah. >> with his battered jeep. >> we are going to arkansas. there's a search for three people. it's a water rescue. already the sheriff of this county has died trying to find the people who are missing. this is a really bizarre story and a sad landmark already. we will tell you about the search that continues this morning. [ male announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance in sync? try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic c" that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ stay in the groove with align.

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let's go to some affiliate video from oklahoma. you are looking at video from

koah, one of our affiliates. you are looking at a water rescue from oklahoma -- or you were. floodwaters are an issue right now. >> we know from the report here and you are seeing the video of the man stranded in the vehicle. he says he has called over and over and over, and you see the water is up to the door handle and he will stretch his arms out like what do i do here? he says that he has called time and time again to get help and authorities said he should not have driven through the water in the first place. no word if they are en route now to get this guy. this is midway city, which is very close to oklahoma city in oklahoma county, oklahoma. and the man is -- he appears to be the only person there, and now he will try to get on to the roof of the car because the water does not seem to be subsiding at all. >> yeah, it's a lesson, right? don't drive into water that is that deep especially in a little

car like that. it just takes a little water to make that car boyant, and that's it. >> even if you think you know the road, because there could be trees down and branches down, anything. anything under that water. if you think you know it and you can gauge the depth, still don't drive through it and you can end up like that man. >> he looks to be okay. it could be worse. >> we will stay on top of that. crews are resuming their search searching for three people. >> the sheriff of scott county was killed in the raging water while trying to rescue two women trapped in a house. those women are missing along with a state wildlife officer. on the phone with us is keith stevens, spokesperson for the arkansas game and fish commission. keith, how did this happen? >> well, the wildlife agent and

the share it were doing what they were trained to do. there was a 911 call about people trapped in a house. they went and got in a boat and attempted to rescue them and were washed away in the floodwaters. >> was this sudden flooding or did it just seem to come out of nowhere? >> that area of the state, which is right on the oklahoma and oregon boa-- arkansas border. that area is in a valley. the water is obviously rushing off of the ridges through that part of the state and it went into the mill creek area and flooded a little community there. >> this search has been going on for more than 24 hours, right? what is the optimism that these women and the wildlife officer are in good condition, are safe or alive? >> well, we are still hopeful.

we are still in search and rescue mode. we would like to find them. the wildlife officer is in good shape, a young man, 32, so we hope we can find him. >> we talked about oklahoma and missouri, but give us an idea as we look at some of the video from our affiliate, kark, give us an idea of the flooding in arkansas? >> it's along the western border obviously with oklahoma where all the rain has been. i am looking at the radar right now and it looks like that area will get hit again today, and probably throughout the day. there are real concerns about continued flooding and maybe more flooding in other areas of the state. >> how did this sheriff get to a point where he was unable to not only rescue these women but lost his life? what was happening when he was killed? >> we are not real sure. it was dark.

it was just after midnight when they went to the house. there was some officers that were across on the other bank of the creek. evidently they heard a large crash and it's my understanding that maybe the house was washed away. we don't know at this time, if they were in it or the boat capsized. we're not just real sure. >> keith stevens, spokesperson for the arkansas game and fish commission. thank you for your time, sir. >> sure. >> just a huge storm, wasn't it? >> huge storm and deadly. we have seen this death in arkansas, and five in oklahoma, and we spoke with -- i think it was the 3:00 or 4:00 hour, we spoke with the public information officer for the oklahoma city police department, and he says he expect the number of fatalities to rise. fortunately, and hopefully, not too high. he believes there are more lives that were lost. we will get that number sometime today. >> and we will have more on the

numbers of the tornadoes that tore through oklahoma last night. we will share that with you next. you die from alzheimer's disease. we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call or donation adds up to something big. it's not for colds. it's not for pain. it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil™. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®.

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