Midwest turned into another weather warzone: At least 118 dead as terrifying tornado cuts a four-mile swathe through Missouri town

A man stands amid the remains of a Wal-Mart store, after it was hit by the tornado, in Joplin






Joplin, Missouri -- At least 89 people died from a tornado that tore through Joplin, Missouri, City Manager Mark Rohr told reporters Monday morning.

Residents in the southwest Missouri city braced for news of fatalities after the vicious tornado flattened buildings, tossed cars and hurled debris up to 70 miles away.

"I would say 75% of the town is virtually gone," Kathy Dennis of the American Red Cross said Sunday night.

But Joplin Emergency Management Director Keith Stammer put the estimate at 10% to 20%

"The particular area that the tornado went through is just like the central portion of the city, and it's very dense in terms of population," Stammer said on CNN's American Morning on Monday.

He said officials have a list of places where people are believed to be trapped.

"We have been working all night long, and we will continue to do so until we get to everybody," he said.

Stammer said more than 40 agencies from Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri have responded.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon activated the Missouri National Guard and stressed urgency in rescuing survivors after the Sunday evening twister.

"It's total devastation, with a hospital down, the high school down, other areas," he said. "We just want to make sure that as the night goes on, we're saving lives between now and dawn."

Nixon said late Sunday night that there was no official death toll, but "we have had confirmation of a number of deaths. And the number appears to be rising."

Joplin city spokeswoman Lynn Ostot said the number of fatalities probably won't be determined until daylight. She said about 1/2 to 1 mile of the city was affected, including residential and commercial districts.The city is home to about 50,000 people, according to the U.S. Census