Minnesota town closed off after possible tornado

GLENVILLE, Minnesota (CNN) -- Police cordoned off a southern Minnesota town Wednesday after a possible tornado knocked out power and damaged homes.

Severe weather ripped through the region Tuesday, leaving damaged homes, downed power lines and a propane gas leak behind in Glenville, about 100 miles south of Minneapolis.

The whole town of about 1,200 residents was without power early Wednesday, said Assistant Chief Dwaine Winkels of the nearby Albert Lea Police Department.

No one was injured in the storm, but Winkels said "there was substantial damage in the path of the tornado." Authorities were not letting anyone into Glenville, he said.

"We've brought in generators to keep the (water) pumping station going," Winkels said.

He said a leaking propane tank was quickly repaired, but residents who were forced out of their homes by that leak or by heavy damage were being helped by the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Forecasters predicted more strong thunderstorms throughout the Midwest on Wednesday, with heavy weather stretching from the western Great Lakes and the Dakotas and south as far as Texas.

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City of Albert Lea Police Department
American Red Cross
Salvation Army USA

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