A tornado swept through a small eastern Kansas town, killing one person and destroying at least 20 homes, as severe thunderstorms pelted the region with hail that some residents said was the size of baseballs, authorities said early Sunday. According to AP, a man was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to Newman Regional Hospital in Emporia, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from where the tornado hit Saturday night in Reading, hospital supervisor Deb Gould said. She said two other people were brought in with injuries but she had no further details. Five people were injured in all, along with the person killed, said Sharon Watson, the spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. About 200 homes were damaged in and around the town of about 250 people, Watson said. The local post office and volunteer fire department were damaged, and all roads in and out of the town have been closed off. Reading is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Topeka. Power had been restored in the town by early Sunday, and a shelter was set up at a local school. The tornado was reported about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Watson said.
