Tornado hits over 130 homes

Jackson residents picked their way around mangled trees and dangling power lines Wednesday, sifting through debris from the tornado that ripped through the city hours before.

In the 10 minutes the tornado was on the ground in central and northeast Jackson, at least 134 homes and 11 businesses were damaged, said Jackson fire chief Brad Golden. Of those, 12 homes and three businesses were destroyed.

Emergency workers reported only minor injuries. A well-known real estate agent, Ken Howard, died of a heart attack minutes after the storm system passed through, Cape Girardeau County Coroner Mike Hurst said, but he wasn't injured in the tornado.

Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., show the tornado was an F3, meaning it had winds of 158 to 206 mph. Meteorologist Greg Meffert said final figures from field crews could be delayed by another cluster of severe thunderstorms, carrying the possibility of more tornadoes, forecast to hit the area today.

Disaster appeal

President Bush declared 39 Missouri counties federal disaster areas on Wednesday, but Cape Girardeau County wasn't among them. Gov. Bob Holden and Southeast Missouri's congressional delegation are asking that Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and other affected counties be added to the list, opening the way for storm victims to receive grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-interest loans to reopen their businesses.

The loans could be particularly important in this case because the Jackson tornado touched down in the city's commercial district.

Gail Seabaugh spent Wednesday looking over what was left of her woodworking shop on East Main Street, a business where people bring in antique furniture for refurbishing. A board that was once part of her shop was stuck in the roof at a mechanic shop across the street.

"Everything inside is in place," Seabaugh said. "It's just wet."

On the other side of Main Street, Bobbie Mize, the manager of the former K-9 Training Center, picked up salvageable items and placed them on a bare concrete pad. That foundation and scattered debris was all that marked the business' existence.

The story was much the same in residential neighborhoods. Three houses side-by-side on Lakewoods Drive sustained the worst of the residential destruction, and scores of volunteers showed up to help carry out furniture and other belongings from the houses.

"I had to turn away help because it got so crowded," said Doug Otto, who lives at 1135 Lakewoods.

Until there's a formal plan to haul away debris, city officials are asking residents to stack piles in their yards next to the street for a future pickup service.

Emergency workers move

The Jackson police and fire departments, which shared a building, are being forced to make their home at the Emergency Operations Center in the Cape Girardeau County Administration Building at South Hope and West Main streets. The roof over the fire station was blown completely off, landing in yards more than 10 blocks away.

"My department is totally devastated," said police chief James Humphreys, just appointed to his post last week. "We're not in our house, and that's a little bit of a hindrance."

Golden said the city's 911 service and radio communications may be housed at the EOC for the next two to three weeks. But Humphreys is hoping his police officers can return to the complex soon if power is restored quickly and the cleanup proves safe.

"If we can stay in, we will," he said. He has a contingency plan to use a few available rooms at the sheriff's department as an interim base of operations if necessary.

He asked residents for patience as officers respond to calls and still deal with the storm's aftermath and the traffic problems that have cropped up around the central portion of the city.

Power back on

Electricity was restored to 90 percent of the city by late Wednesday. The remaining 10 percent was in areas most affected by the storm, where dangerous cleanup work remains to be finished before power can be re-established, Golden said.

Twenty gas leaks were quickly contained by workers Tuesday night after the tornado passed through, mostly small 1-inch and half-inch service lines, he said. A 6-inch supply line was repaired by Wednesday morning. A well house and the city's power and water facilities also received minor damage, but water service wasn't affected.

Because the electricity was off in most of the city for about six hours, county health department workers asked restaurants and convenience stores to discard most perishable food, said director Charlotte Craig. In addition, rural residents with wells that are not working should boil their water for now, she said.

For those who could save food in time, Schnucks grocery store in Cape Girardeau opened its refrigerators and freezers to preserve food until power was restored.

Relief organized

The American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter had been watching the weather all spring, said coordinator Mary Burton, preparing for an event such as Tuesday night's. Because of possible inclement weather here, the local chapter decided not to travel to southwest Missouri, where severe tornadoes struck Sunday. And once the tornado hit Jackson, Burton's crew of two dozen relief volunteers went to work.

Three people stayed at the Red Cross shelter at the Immaculate Conception Parish Hall on Tuesday night. She expected several others Wednesday night.

"We want to get them into permanent housing so they can regain some sense of normalcy," Burton said. A mental health worker was called in to help victims with stress.

Robert Gauthier with the Salvation Army said a mobile kitchen traveled from neighborhood to neighborhood in Jackson on Wednesday and will be back today. Caseworkers were out on foot, trying to help victims find temporary or permanent housing and usable furniture.

"We may have to put out a request for furniture, cleaning supplies or other items, but we want to see what we have first and then decide if we need more help," Gauthier said.

Mayor thanks helpers

Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said he was confident life would be back to normal soon. "We'll rebound quickly in Jackson -- we always do," he said.

He expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response of mutual aid provided to Jackson by the sheriff's department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other surrounding agencies.

"The Country Mart lot was completely full with emergency vehicles, and the streets near the police and fire stations were lined with more emergency vehicles, all just waiting to be put to work," he said.

Cape Girardeau provided three fire engines and 13 fire personnel to Jackson after the storm, said interim fire chief Mark Hasheider. In addition, several Cape Girardeau police officers and public works crews came to lend a hand.

Managing editor Heidi Hall contributed to this report.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635

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HELPING OUT

Donate to the American Red Cross for Jackson tornado relief and other disasters. Volunteers are attempting to find long-term housing and necessary supplies for victims. Those who want to help or need services should go to the Emergency Operations Center in the County Administration Building or call 335-9471.

A Salvation Army mobile kitchen is moving through Jackson today. Case workers are helping people find temporary and permanent house and furniture. Corps Officer Robert Gauthier said the agency may put out a request for specific items to be donated once they determine the need. For more information, visit the office at 701 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau, talk to people in the mobile kitchen or call 335-7000.

A fund has been established to help Todd and Cathy Reiminger and their two children, ages 2 and 3 months, whose home in the Bent Creek neighborhood was destroyed. Checks can be mailed to the Reiminger Relief Fund, account number 152301538400, at any local US Bank branch. For more more information, call Chris Marchi at 243-8426.

DAMAGED BUSINESSES

Meyer's Bakery, K-9 Training Center and the Farm Service Co-op were totally destroyed.

Businesses with major to moderate damage include Kasten Masonry, G&G Storage, Seabaugh Woodworking, Sonic, Kasten Building Supply and Mill Warehouse Storage