1 dead after tornadoes cause damage in Colo., Wyo.

Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) has declared a state of emergency in Weld County after tornadoes killed one person, ripping through northern Colorado and Wyoming.
Seven reports of tornadoes touching down have been received from the following locations:

*11:29 a.m. - tornado hits in Gilcrest
*11:52 a.m. - same tornado strikes Windsor
*Subsequently hits Platteville
*11:40 a.m. - tornado hits three miles east of Milliken
*12:14 p.m. - tornado hit east of Fort Collins, near the Anheuser-Bush Brewery
*1:30 to 1:45 p.m. - tornado hits Laramie, Wyoming

The touchdown in Wyoming is the most recent. It was reported between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m. Reports indicate that it hit the WalMart, the high school and the junior high school as well as homes near the WalMart. No other information is available at this time.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office confirmed shortly before 2 p.m. that at least one person had been killed during the tornadoes.

The total number of injured is unknown, but authorities in Windsor say at least 14 people were treated for a variety of injuries. Additionally, seven people injured by one of the tornadoes were taken to the Medical Center of the Rockies and another two were treated and released at Poudre Valley Hospital.

At 4 p.m., the Weld County Sheriff's Office ordered mandatory evacuations for sections of Windsor due to gas leaks and downed power lines. Law enforcement says citizens in the effected areas will be notified.

The governor arrived in Weld County around 5 p.m. on Thursday and his declaration has mobilized the Colorado National Guard who will help move emergency crews and law enforcement officials in and out of the disaster areas.

"We will be doing all we can to assist the people of Weld County as we assess the damage and determine how the state can provide the most effective aid," Ritter said. "My heart goes out to the people of Weld County during this very dangerous time."

The most significant damage appears to be in Windsor where either an F2 or F3 hit.

Ritter met with the Windsor Police and Fire chiefs when he arrived. Crews are doing a secondary sweep through the town with about 80 firefighters looking for anyone who needs help.

The governor took an aerial tour of the area just after he arrived.

"The tornado went right over our building. The buildings next to us are devastated," said witness Brian Parsonnet who weathered the storm in Windsor. "The thing was so big we couldn't tell if it was a tornado or not because it was so big."

"We ran around to the adjacent buildings, but I wasn't able to find anyone who reported any injuries," said Parsonnett.

9NEWS Northern Newsroom Reporter Adam Chodak says water main breaks were visible in the area. 9NEWS received reports of injuries in the area where children at a daycare received minor scratches. Roughly 130 kids were in the daycare. Reports indicate all children are safe. Several cars suffered heavy damage near the building.

Cindy Anderson, a Windsor resident, told 9NEWS shortly after the tornado hit she saw a sports utility vehicle with the roof of a building on top of it.

"The town is a mess," said Anderson. "We are hearing sirens. It's bad. There is a ton of damage." (Click here for more witness accounts of the damage.)

The Weld County Sheriff's Office says all schools in Gilcrest and Windsor are in lockdown because of the tornadoes, but there is no damage reported to the schools.

Authorities say a tornado did come close to schools in Gilcrest, but because of the lockdown parents were told not to go to the school to get their children until the lockdown was lifted later in the afternoon.

Officials say the children were safe, there were no injuries and reinforced that there was no damage to the buildings.

Weld RE-4 District in Windsor said Thursday afternoon that teachers should not report to school on Friday, but should instead just contact the principal for end of the year closeout procedures. District and building administrators are asked to report to the district office at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

Inside the town of Gilcrest, damage is minimal. There is some structural damage to homes and a lot of tree limbs that are down. More significant damage is west of Gilcrest toward Platteville along County Road 42 where homes were blown apart and power lines knocked down. Roads are closed throughout that area.

The Red Cross Centennial Chapter has established two shelter sites for anyone displaced by the tornado touchdown. The shelters are at the Windsor Community Center, located at 250 11th Street in Windsor, and at The Ranch, located directly adjacent to I-25, just north of Highway 34, in Loveland.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office has set up two shelters in Greeley at the Greeley Rec. Center at 651 10th Ave. and at the Greeley Funplex at 1501 65th Ave. The Budweiser Events is also open for displaced residents.

There is also a shelter set up in the Gilcrest school gym at 8th Street and Railroad Ave.

A temporary animal shelter was set up at the Windsor Community Center and Weld County is on accident alert.

From Gilcrest, a witness told 9NEWS, "It looked like it was a half a mile wide." He took cover in a nearby bank. "We had time to run into a bank vault. It was a direct hit," said the witness.

Gilcrest Town Administrator Barbara Kirkmeyer says several houses along Weld County Road 42 were heavily damaged and the tornadoes knocked down many power lines.

Kirkmeyer says many lights are out in Platteville and Gilcrest, but Xcel Energy is already working on the downed power lines. As many as 15,000 people were without power at around 4 p.m. (Click here to read more.)

SKY9 found several homes damaged between Weld County and Platteville. Irrigation sprinkler lines were tipped over in the area.

The storm turned a large truck on its side along highway 85 between Gilcrest and Platteville. In a field nearby the truck at least one building suffered heavy damage.

The storm has also resulted in several road closures due to the damage. Colorado 34 is closed in both directions at Windsor, which includes the exit to Windsor from I-25. Highway 257 is also closed from Windsor to Weld County Road 54 because of the widespread damage in the area.

West of Greeley, a tornado made a direct hit on a State Farm building. Cars were tossed off of the road, trees are down and the Swift Company lost its roof. The tornado is said to have been 3/4 mile to 1 mile wide.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office says Poudre Schools were put into lockdown because of the storms, but the lockdown was lifted just before 2 p.m.

The sheriff's office also says the lights are out at 392 and Interstate 25 and County Road 5 and 392 is backed up because the stoplight is out, but there is no accident reported there.

Both of directions of I-25 are not currently closed south of Wellington, but they were closed during the tornadoes so drivers should expect backups in the area.

9NEWS.com has crews throughout the state and will continue to provide updates as they become available.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office is posting continuous updates on its Web site at www.weldsheriff.com.

The Weld Emergency Operations Center is open. Anyone needing information, assistance, or referrals, can call 970-304-6440.

For information about Windsor, call 970-686-2626.

If you are looking for information about the welfare of those impacted by the tornadoes, log onto www.redcross.org.