Local residents and businesses are stepping up to help victims of the May 22 tornado in Joplin. Groups are collecting items for distribution to those in need. Others are planning to volunteer to help. Businesses within the Wentzville Chamber of Commerce are organizing a collection of items to be sent to Joplin on June 2. No cash will be accepted. The items can be dropped off at the following locations: I-70 Towing — 1487 E. Pearce Blvd Taylor Tots Children Boutique — 1842 W. Pearce Blvd. Harris Auto — 807 E. Pearce Items Needed Bottled water Non-perishable food Diapers and baby wipes Formula…
Just one month after twisters flattened St. Louis County homes and businesses, Mother Nature's wrath struck Missouri with what is being called the one of the most deadly tornadoes in state history. Sunday night a tornado ripped through the town of Joplin, where 89 people died and hundreds injured, about 310 miles from St. Louis in Southwest Missouri. The number of deaths are expected to increase as emergency responders sift through the rubble. The tornado hit St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin and caused significant destruction throughout the area. “We don’t know whether the Joplin …
Spring has arrived and with it the potential for severe weather. Over the last several years, April showers have actually manifested as severe storms that smash the May flowers. For those of us living in Missouri that means severe weather season. Thunderstorms can form at any time during the year. The winter in the St. Louis Metropolitan area has seen more snow than in years past, with some severe storms. On Friday, April 22, we saw severe thunderstorms accompanied by hail, lightning, high winds, torrential rains, tornadoes and some flash flooding. In Wentzville, the tornado sirens are …
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano toured Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Thursday with County Executive Charlie Dooley and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. The officials surveyed damage from a tornado that struck Lambert Airport during the Good Friday storms. “It’s horrendous,” Napolitano said of the destruction she surveyed. “I’d have to say it’s miraculous there was no loss of life, especially after what we’ve seen happen in the South.” Estimates are that subsequent tornadoes killed more than 130 people in Alabama alone. There have been deaths in Arkansas and Mississippi …
Five groups of assessors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) started assessing homes damaged by the Good Friday storms on Wednesday. The teams are surveying Maryland Heights, Ferguson, New Melle and other areas hit by the storm. The FEMA officials are part of a Joint Preliminary Assessment Team, which consists of local officials, state authorities from the Missouri Emergency Management Agency, and an official from the Small Business Administration. Officials will assess home damage and will give the information to the state. FEMA spokesperson Josh deBerge told Patch that the …
This past weekend, St. Charles and St. Louis County were hit hard by storms and tornados. Here's a look at the Wentzville Patch's coverage. St. Charles County Major storms miss Wentzville, hit New Melle Our Sporting Mom column looks at how to deal with children and their fears of storms. St. Louis County A survey of damage at Lambert Airport First look — a video of storm damage Friday night. Thousands still without power in St. Louis County. We want to know what you are doing. Is your church or club volunteering locally to assist those impacted by the storm. Let us know. Send your stories …
Residents of greater St. Louis will not soon forget Good Friday 2011 and Easter weekend. A tornado that ranged from EF1 to EF4 on the Fujita scale (with EF5 being the worst) traveled 22 miles west to east across the St. Louis metro area on Friday, striking Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, as well as nearby communities. An estimated 750 homes were damaged in this latest tornado, Gov. Jay Nixon said at a press conference Saturday from the airport. Power was out to some 47,000 customers at the height of the storm. Here is a roundup of coverage from Patch around the region: The Good …
A possible tornado ripped through New Melle and unincorporated St. Charles County near Wentzville Friday night, but the larger cities mostly avoided major damage. The storm started around 6:30 p.m. last night. A first system passed through the area before a larger and more damaging system came through at 7:40 p.m. New Melle, MO got hit with what is believed to be a tornado. Damaging hail also was reported throughout the area. According to St. Charles County Red Cross, about 20 homes north of New Melle in south St. Charles County were damaged by a possible tornado or straightline winds Friday…
