On Friday, December 10th, a series of strong tornadoes and storms swept through Missouri and its neighboring states. In a press release issued on the 11th by Gov. Parson's office, it was announced that there were 4 deaths in the state of Missouri and damage to hundreds of homes.
According to the press release, the deaths took place in the counties of St. Charles and Pemiscot. In St. Charles county, a woman was killed while at home. While in Pemiscot County, a semi-truck driver and a motorist were killed while driving in the storms, and a young child was killed while at home.
KRCU spoke with the Floodplain coordinator from Caruthersville, Barry Gilmore, on the impact of the tornadoes in their town and in communities around them. Gilmore said that most of the damage happened just outside of town.
“The stretch of highway 84 just between Hayti and Caruthersville where the tornado apparently came across the road, took out 15 to 20 light poles, and of course we did have some casualties here. Which is heartbreaking, to say the least, when that type of stuff happens so close to home.”
While, according to Gilmore, Caruthersville didn’t see the same damage to buildings and homes as other areas did, they know what that devastation feels like, and feel for those communities.
“Caruthersville had a tornado around 15-odd years ago – in ‘06 or ‘08 – that was pretty significant. Where 60% of the structures in town had some significant damage. I don’t think anybody ever really recovers from things like this – it changes everything.”
In wake of the devastation caused by this weather event, Gov. Parson has pledged that the state government of Missouri is there to assist them in restoring power, removing debris, and saving lives. In tandem with Gov. Parson’s pledge, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is also working to ensure Missourians affected most by the tornadoes get the proper care and resources.
