Severe storms, tornadoes batter Missouri
Pastor Dale Morgan
Severe storms, tornadoes batter Missouri*
By Dick VanderHart, Springfield News-Leader
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Suspected tornadoes tore through southwest Missouri
this morning, killing an elderly man and ripping the roof off of a high
school as students fled the building.
Shortly before noon, the National Weather Service here said nine tornado
tracks had been reported in the area, though none have been confirmed as
tornadoes. The service reported winds of 60 to 80 mph.
Near the tiny town of Charity, Mo., a man in his mid-70s was thrown from
a residential home and killed, said Dallas County Emergency Management
Director Larry Highfill. The man's name was not released. Seven others
were injured in the area, Highfill said.
In Fair Grove, Mo., just north of Springfield, four high school students
sustained minor injuries when their high school roof was torn off,
Superintendent John Link said.
As staff heard the roof giving way to the gusting winds, they rushed
students into the adjacent middle school building, Link said. Students
reported pieces of roofing and insulation falling on them as they fled.
One male student suffered a dislocated shoulder.
"I heard what they call a train," sophomore Mark Harris said. "I heard
the roof go up like an umbrella. It went up and it came straight back down."
Throughout the neighborhood around the school, large trees had been
uprooted and homes suffered extensive roof damage.
In Springfield, two tractor-trailer drivers were reportedly injured when
their rigs were overturned by high winds. Thousands in the region are
without power, according to local utility companies.