(CNN) -- A massive tornado killed at least nine people in southwestern Kansas on Friday night and destroyed nearly everything in its path.

"My town is gone," Greensburg, Kansas, City Administrator Steve Hewitt said after surveying the wreckage.

Kansas Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Sharon Watson said eight of the deaths were in Kiowa County, where Greensburg is located, and one was in Stafford County, to the northeast.

The region was in for more severe weather Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service posted tornado watches from South Dakota to Texas, including Greensburg. Tornado warnings were issued in parts of Kansas and Nebraska late Saturday afternoon.

Forecasters said thunderstorms in the region were likely and could be severe, accompanied by hail up to 3 inches in diameter and winds of 80 mph or more.

"This is a particularly dangerous situation," the weather service said.

"I believe 95 percent of the homes are gone," Hewitt said. "Downtown buildings are gone, my home is gone, and we've got to find a way to make this work and get this town back on its feet." (Watch homes turned into piles of bricks and splintered wood )

The Red Cross said about 90 percent of the town, which has a population of about 1,500, was destroyed or heavily damaged. The central business district, City Hall and high school were destroyed, but the courthouse remained standing, witnesses said.

By Saturday morning, the town was empty and structural engineers and the National Weather Service were assessing damage. Hundreds of residents were taken to shelters in schools and other facilities in nearby towns, the Red Cross said.

Kansas Highway Patrol Sgt. Ron Knoefel said National Guard troops were doing house-to-house searches for anyone trapped under the rubble.

"We will not reopen the town until we know it's safe for the residents to come back," Hewitt said.

Storm chaser Darin Brunin told CNN he saw people in the streets walking "in shock, not even knowing what was going on." Many homes were leveled, limping dogs wandered aimlessly, and injured cattle were scattered across a highway, he said. (Watch an aerial view of the devastation )

"It wasn't a pleasant sight to see at all, very horrible," Brunin said.

Another storm chaser, Marty Logan, estimated the twister was at least a half-mile wide. Two smaller tornadoes followed the larger twister, sweeping northward into Greensburg, he said.

The weather service reported a tornado in Greensburg about 9:30 p.m. Friday. CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf said warning sirens alerted most residents to take shelter.

Katie White told The Associated Press she was driving through Greensburg when she heard the tornado warning. She drove into a convenience store parking lot, and the store owner pulled her and a dozen other people into a large walk-in freezer for safety, the AP said.

When they came out, White said, the store was gone.

On Saturday afternoon, meteorologists were still trying to determine the path of Friday night's storms, Wolf said. He said the storm system moved into parts of neighboring Nebraska and the Dakotas. (Watch a tornado bear down on an Oklahoma storm chaser )

No repeat of Katrina, congressman vows

"We're not going to let a disaster happen here like what happened with [Hurricane] Katrina," Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kansas, told reporters Saturday afternoon. "We're going to take care of people first and then help this city rebuild."

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, said state legislators have asked President Bush to quickly designate that part of Kansas a disaster area to make the area eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.

Roberts said the White House sent condolences to the Kansans affected.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has already declared Kiowa County a disaster area, which is the first step toward ensuring federal aid, Watson said.

Red Cross spokeswoman Andrea Anglin said Greensburg had no electricity, gas or running water.

Residents were advised not to drink city tap water if they can find any. The National Guard and the Red Cross are supplying water to those in need.

At least 400 residents had been moved by bus to shelters -- in Haviland to the east and Mullinville and Bucklin to the south, Anglin said.

Greensburg looks like images of the aftermath of atomic bombs in Japan during World War II, Roberts said.

"It just looks like ground zero," he said.

A curfew is in place overnight starting at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET). About 40 National Guard troops will provide security, Watson said.

Rescue crews have pulled some people alive from the rubble, and more are expected to be found in upcoming days, Hewitt said. He did not give an exact number of those found Saturday. (Watch tornado survivors climb out of damaged building )

Rescue efforts were hampered by debris, some of which has caused flat tires. Knoefel said many of the first responders "are in shock" and are dealing with the mental toll of having lost homes themselves.

Communication lines were down and cell phone service was intermittent, Sebelius said.

About 100 Red Cross officials rushed to the town, and some of the volunteers planned to work with FEMA "to assess how many families were affected and to what extent," Anglin said.

"This was an unbelievable event that occurred last night. You have to see it in person to really understand it, but it's devastating," Hewitt said.

Despite the major setbacks the storm has caused for the city, Hewitt said the town would prevail and be rebuilt.

How? "We're going to have to pull ourselves up by our boots and do it ourselves," he said.

Greensburg is best known for having the world's largest hand-dug well and being home to a 1,000-pound pallasite meteorite.

Treating the injured

"We still unfortunately don't know how many people are actually going to be confirmed as fatalities," Sebelius said. "We know in addition to the nine that there are a number of people very critically injured, but we're still searching for residents."

The storm collapsed one of the wings of Greensburg's Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, trapping 30 people who were later rescued with minor injuries, said Sharon Watson of the Kansas Emergency Management Agency .

At least 55 injured people initially were evacuated about 30 miles east to Pratt Regional Medical Center for treatment, according to hospital spokeswoman Kim Stivers. The injuries ranged from cuts and scrapes to more severe injuries, she said.

Some of the 55 were then transferred to other hospitals.

Western Plains Medical Complex in Dodge City treated and released eight injured patients, CEO John Walker said. Two remained hospitalized Saturday morning because of more "more serious conditions."

Five patients were taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, spokeswoman Helen Thomas said. Two were in intensive care, and three were listed in serious condition.

Four people were hospitalized for multiple injuries at Via Christi Saint Francis Hospital in Wichita. Spokeswoman Joy Mock told CNN two were in fair condition and two were in critical condition in the intensive care unit after facing "pretty significant" traumas.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

[此贴子已经被作者于2007-5-6 8:38:54编辑过]