Three tornadoes destroyed homes, tossed cars and injured more than 200 people on Monday as they carved through central and southeastern Virginia.

A house in Driver, Va., was inflated to be debated by a blizzard on Monday. (Dennis Tennant/Associated Press)

Virginia State Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a plight of emergency for the areas in the southeastern function of the state struck by the twisters.

The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes struck Suffolk, Colonial Heights and Brunswick County. Meteorologist Bryan Jackson described Suffolk’s being of the class who a “major hurricane.”

Bob Spieldenner from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said at least 200 were injured in Suffolk and 18 others were injured in Colonial Heights.

“Multiple buildings be delivered of been destroyed, homes have been destroyed,” Suffolk city spokeswoman Dana Woodson said.

Woodson related Suffolk’s community of Driver was hardest reach.

In Driver, downed trees and power lines covered the streets. A vending machine was tilted on its interest, leaning up against a pile of rubble that had been the general store in a small shopping district.

“It’s just a bunch of broken fleet poles, telephone lines and sad faces,” said Richard Allbright, who works for a tree removal service in Driver and had been out for hours trying to clear the roads.

The community’s Sentara Obici Hospital was damaged but still able to treat patients.

Sentara hospital spokesman Dale Gauding said about 60 injured people were being treated in that place, and he expected most to be released.

“We desire lots of cuts and bruises” and arm and leg injuries, he said. The hospital’s windows were cracked, apparently through debris from a damaged shopping midmost point across the street.

In Colonial Heights, south of the state capital of Richmond, the storm overturned cars and damaged buildings in the Southpark Mall area.

Property damage also was reported in Brunswick County, one of manifold localities where the weather service had issued a tornado warning. Sgt. Michelle Cotten of the Virginia State Police uttered a twister destroyed two homes. Trees and power lines were down, and more flooding was reported.

About 9,000 customers remained without service Monday night.

&pattern after; The Canadian Press, 2008