mike tiebi has been following. he's live on the ground in springfield, is with us from there. >> reporter: yes, this hit at about 4:45 this afternoon, and residents at the south end of springfield who we spoke to said they could see it, it was huge. they could see it, it was huge, and they could hear it, it sounded like a low-flying aircraft flying a little too low. there have been many injuries. no fatalities reported yet, and the winds were strong enough not to have just lifted roofs off houses but also top floors of houses as well. we're told another tornado has just touched down and an extreme weather warning is in place for the next several hours. again, no fatalities reported. many injuries including some elderly, and all the center of town, particularly the south end of springfield, has been impacted by the tornado. brian. >> mike tiebi, who did sporty driving to get to springfield. thanks. >>> we want to go to weather channel meteorologist chris warren in atlanta. this came out of nowhere, exploded. we knew

mike tiebi reports tonight from springfield. >> reporter: from the air, it looked every bit a wind-driven storm of historic proportions, and it was. in the western central part of springfield, it was destroyed. on union street, six families can't call their homes home. police discussed fatalities. a mother died when she covered her child. >> reporter: this is what the approaching twister looked like wednesday afternoon. a spinning twister a football field wide, a mile high, and carrying anything with it within a 34-mile path. >> they gave us all the warning they could, and you know how much that was? ten minutes. >> reporter: almost makes it a miracle the casualties were as low as they were. consider tasha austin who was driving with her mom and two kids when a tree fell on their car. a tree whose trunk was curved enough to save them from more damage. >> it's like it tree saved me and wrapped its arms around me. >> many people have significant damage. there are 1,000 national guardsmen aiding in the cleanup. in the communities, there was a house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood sear