TAOPI, Minn. — A small community in far southeastern Minnesota is in shock after being slammed by a tornado that has impacted nearly every building in town.
Mower County Emergency Manger Amy Lammey says National Weather Service crews have confirmed that the tornado, an EF2, was on the ground for five to six miles and hit the town of Taopi shortly after warning sirens went off at 10:37 p.m. Tuesday.
An EF2 tornado will have winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour.
Lammey says emergency officials first realized Taopi had been hit when dispatchers received a 911 call from two residents who were trapped in the basement of their home, which had been flattened. She says the two were rescued by first responders and taken to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in nearby Austin with non-life threatening injuries.
Deputies and responders from two local fire departments went door to door to evacuate residents due to a natural gas leak. Lammey says there are approximately 20 homes in the town, and 80 residents who live there. She shared that nearly every structure in Taopi has been impacted by the tornado, but the extent of the damage won't be clear until a survey is done early Wednesday afternoon.
Taopi is located just off State Highway 56 about 40 miles south of Rochester, just a stone's throw from the Iowa border.
KARE 11 has a crew en route to Taopi, and will have all the latest developments as they become available.
The NWS confirmed a second tornado — an EF1 — touched down Tuesday night in Fillmore County, just west of Spring Valley.
Town of Taopi battered by EF2 tornado
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