The Latest: Tornado damage forces Summer Olympics halt

The Latest on tornadoes and flooding in the Midwest (all times local):

4 p.m.

Missouri's Special Olympics summer games have been canceled after a tornado damaged the organization's headquarters in Jefferson City.

This aerial image shows severe storm damage in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado hit overnight. A tornado tore apart buildings in Missouri's capital city as part of an overnight outbreak of severe weather across the state. (DroneBase via AP)

Special Olympics multi-media manager Brandon Schatsiek says the Wednesday night tornado blew out windows and doors, tore a hole in a roof and damaged training facilities at the Special Olympics headquarters.

The games were supposed to be played May 31 through June 2 in Springfield, and about 1,000 athletes and coaches had been expected to attend the volleyball, swimming and track-and-field events. But Special Olympics Board Chairman Gary Wilbers says it would have been too difficult for staff to organize them while dealing with damage to their Jefferson City headquarters.

Schatsiek say more than 100 people were helping to clean it up Friday.

Workers pick up debris at destroyed storage units Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo. late Wednesday. (AP PhotoCharlie Riedel)

The $16.5 million headquarters facility had opened last September.

3:25 p.m.

The National Weather Service is investigating why a warning wasn't issued for a small northeast Kansas town when a tornado hit the city.

Iesha McClain looks through her destroyed home Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo. late Wednesday. (AP PhotoCharlie Riedel)

The Kansas City Star reports that the EF1 tornado developed early Friday morning on the southwest side of Marysville and went through about 3:45 a.m. The twister was about 50 yards wide and produced winds of 105 mph.

No injuries were reported. A home suffered roof damage and a 3,000-gallon gasoline tank was tossed around.

National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Baerg said sirens for the town of 3,300 people about 75 miles (121 kilometers) northwest of Topeka didn't go off because no warning was issued.

People ride a motor scooter past tornado debris along a wall of the former Missouri State Penitentiary Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo., late Wednesday. (AP PhotoCharlie Riedel)

He said the Weather Service is reviewing radar and other data to see what happened and ensure that it doesn't happen again.

2:45 p.m.

Kansas officials are worrying about flooding as the number of communities facing problems grows.

John MacDonald looks out over the swollen Arkansas River from the Memorial Drive pedestrian bridge in Bixby, Okla., on Thursday, May 23, 2019. Storms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, in the past few days. (Matt BarnardTulsa World via AP)

Forty-six of the state's 105 counties were covered by a disaster declaration first issued by Gov. Laura Kelly earlier this month. Allen County in southeast Kansas and Pawnee and Rush in western Kansas went on the list Friday.

In Rush County, Kansas 96 was closed west of Rush Center because of flooding. Portions of at least six other state highways were closed for the same reason.

The American Red Cross operated shelters in Erie in southeast Kansas and Salina in central Kansas.

Chase Burgoon jumps a fence to get to his home as floodwaters approach in the Meadow Valley neighborhood in Sand Springs, Okla., Thursday, May 23, 2019. At right is his girlfriend Sierra Cooper. (Mike SimonsTulsa World via AP)

State officials said flooding could push small wild animals and even deer or coyotes out of their habitats and into populated areas and advised people to avoid feeding them and to leave them alone.

12:10 p.m.

Floodwaters from the Missouri River have topped a levee at Jefferson City and shut down some streets around the state Capitol as residents continue cleaning up from a powerful tornado.

John DesBarres, left, and Tulsa County Undersheriff George Brown rescue one of DesBarres goats as flood waters rise in the Town and Country Neighborhood in Sand Springs, Okla., Thursday, May 23, 2019. (Mike SimonsTulsa World via AP)

The flooding Friday had been forecast following heavy rain throughout the Midwest earlier in the week. Yet it still caught some people by surprise, as it came on a hot sunny day. The city's airport had already been evacuated, but other residents and workers drove precariously through flooded roads in north Jefferson City to escape the rising waters.

The Capitol building sits on a bluff on the south side of the river and is not in danger of flooding.

The tornado that struck just before midnight Wednesday also spared the Capitol but tore a three-mile path through the city.

Volunteer Nathan Gustafson, right, and an unidentified man rescue a sheep from floodwaters at a home in the Town and Country neighborhood in Sand Springs, Okla., Thursday, May 23, 2019. (Mike SimonsTulsa World via AP)

11:35 a.m.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has directed the Arkansas National Guard to send high-water rescue teams to the western part of the state in anticipation of what's expected to be record flooding on the Arkansas River this weekend.

The governor said Friday that he directed the Guard to send two, 13-member rescue teams to western Arkansas by Saturday morning. Hutchinson says the team will follow the floodwaters as they move to the southeast through the state.

In this aerial image, flood waters are seen on North Cincinnati near Skiatook, Okla., on Thursday, May 23, 2019. Storms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, in the past few days. (Tom GilbertTulsa World via AP)

Hutchinson urged residents to follow instructions from local emergency officials, especially if an evacuation is ordered.

The Arkansas River is expected to crest at record levels in parts of the state because of a massive amount of water moving downstream from Oklahoma and Kansas.

11:25 a.m.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Tulsa is increasing the amount of water being released from a dam as flooding continues along the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and moves into western Arkansas.

Following an aerial tour of the region Friday morning, Sen. James Lankford said the release from Keystone Dam is being increased from 215,000 cubic feet per second to 250,000 cfs to control the flooding that has followed days of violent storms and heavy rains blamed for at least seven deaths in Oklahoma, Missouri and Iowa.

Lankford said the dam is doing what it should in keeping the flooding "at a manageable level."

As the water flows downstream, record flooding is predicted in western Arkansas where the river is expected to reach 41 feet (12.5 meters) by Sunday. That's nearly 20 feet (6 meters) above flood stage and 3 feet (0.9 meters) above the previous record.

In Tulsa, the river was just above 22 feet (6.71 meters) Friday morning, four feet (1.22 meters) above flood stage.

11:15 a.m.

A specialized task force says 11 structures were destroyed and 157 were damaged by a tornado that hit Jefferson City, Missouri.

Missouri Task Force 1 deployed to the state's capital city after the tornado on Wednesday night. Members worked through a 3-square-mile area that took the brunt of the damage.

The State Emergency Management Agency activated the team at the request of the Jefferson City Fire Department. The team members include disaster search and rescue specialists, engineers, canines, paramedics and other specialists.

KRCG reports the teams found 1005 structures with no damage, 157 damaged structures, 55 failed structures and 11 structures completely destroyed.

About two dozen people were injured during the tornado, but no fatalities were reported.

9:30 a.m.

Forecasters are predicting record flooding in western Arkansas in communities along the Arkansas River because of huge amounts of water headed downstream from Oklahoma and Kansas.

In Van Buren, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock, the river is expected to reach 41 feet (12.5 meters) by Sunday. That's nearly 20 feet (6 meters) above flood stage and 3 feet (0.9 meters) above the previous record of 38.1 feet (11.61 meters), set in 1945. Nearby Fort Smith is also expecting record flooding.

The river was at 32 feet on Friday morning, or just above major flood stage.

The weather service says "near catastrophic flooding" occurs at 37 feet (11 meters), and that the predicted river levels will create "an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation."

Further downstream, forecasters expect major but not record flooding in Little Rock by June 1.

9:20 a.m.

Residents affected by a powerful tornado in Missouri's capital city now could have to withstand some hot weather without electricity to their homes.

Electricity provider Ameren Missouri said Friday that crews have been working around the clock to try to replace about 200 broken power poles in Jefferson City and Eldon and re-string the lines.

Ameren Missouri division director Chip Webb says it may be the end of Saturday before power is fully restored in Jefferson City. He says crews hope to have the power back on later Friday in Eldon, another central Missouri town hit by a tornado.

High temperatures are forecast in the mid-to-upper 80s both Friday and Saturday.

Webb says Ameren has been using drones to inspect the power lines, which goes more quickly than manual observations.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian court on Friday ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister in the latest high-profile corruption investigation, while Kyiv security officials assessed how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war against Russia.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ruled that Agriculture Minister Oleksandr Solskyi should be held in custody for 60 days, but he was released after paying bail of 75 million hryvnias ($1.77 million), a statement said.

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau suspects Solskyi headed an organized crime group that between 2017 and 2021 unlawfully obtained land worth 291 million hryvnias ($6.85 million) and attempted to obtain other land worth 190 million hryvnias ($4.47 million).

Ukraine is trying to root out corruption that has long dogged the country. A dragnet over the past two years has seen Ukraine’s defense minister, top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials lose their jobs.

That has caused embarrassment and unease as Ukraine receives tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid to help fight Russia’s army, and the European Union and NATO have demanded widespread anti-graft measures before Kyiv can realize its ambition of joining the blocs.

In Ukraine's capital, doctors and ambulance crews evacuated patients from a children’s hospital on Friday after a video circulated online saying Russia planned to attack it.

Parents hefting bags of clothes, toys and food carried toddlers and led young children from the Kyiv City Children’s Hospital No. 1 on the outskirts of the city. Medics helped them into a fleet of waiting ambulances to be transported to other facilities.

In the video, a security official from Russian ally Belarus alleged that military personnel were based in the hospital. Kyiv city authorities said that the claim was “a lie and provocation.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that civic authorities were awaiting an assessment from security services before deciding when it was safe to reopen the hospital.

“We cannot risk the lives of our children,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold online talks Friday with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has been the key international organization coordinating the delivery of weapons and other aid to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday that the meeting would discuss how to turn around Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield. The Kremlin’s forces have gained an edge over Kyiv’s army in recent months as Ukraine grappled with a shortage of ammunition and troops.

Russia, despite sustaining high losses, has been taking control of small settlements as part of its effort to drive deeper into eastern Ukraine after capturing the city of Avdiivka in February, the U.K. defense ministry said Friday.

It’s been slow going for the Kremlin’s troops in eastern Ukraine and is likely to stay that way, according to the Institute for the Study of War. However, the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar is vulnerable to the Russian onslaught, which is using glide bombs — powerful Soviet-era weapons that were originally unguided but have been retrofitted with a navigational targeting system — that obliterate targets.

“Russian forces do pose a credible threat of seizing Chasiv Yar, although they may not be able to do so rapidly,” the Washington-based think tank said late Thursday.

It added that Russian commanders are likely seeking to advance as much as possible before the arrival in the coming weeks and months of new U.S. military aid, which was held up for six months by political differences in Congress.

While that U.S. help wasn’t forthcoming, Ukraine’s European partners didn’t pick up the slack, according to German’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks Ukraine support.

“The European aid in recent months is nowhere near enough to fill the gap left by the lack of U.S. assistance, particularly in the area of ammunition and artillery shells,” it said in a report Thursday.

Ukraine is making a broad effort to take back the initiative in the war after more than two years of fighting. It plans to manufacture more of its own weapons in the future, and is clamping down on young people avoiding conscription, though it will take time to process and train any new recruits.

Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian young acting student Gleb Batonskiy plays piano in a public park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)