The Nation : 20 Injured in R.I. Twister

A rare New England tornado swept through downtown Providence, R.I., during the evening rush hour, tossing cars into the air and injuring 20 people. “Right in a ball of clouds, I saw balls of . . . green light. I could see the funnel cloud. I just kept taking pictures until I realized I should call someone,” said Franklin Meglio, a clinic supervisor at Rhode Island Hospital. The tornado, the first in Rhode Island since 1974, damaged buildings and knocked out power to 4,800 homes. Policemen patrolled streets to prevent looting. Another twister hit Bedford, Mass., uprooting trees and damaging small planes at an airport, but no injuries were reported.