May 6, 2003

Jackson Tornado

semissourian.com images by: Don Frazier, Matthew Apgar, Fred Lynch, and Chris Smith

What once was an attached garage at the residence located at 1855 Ridge Rd. in Jackson is now a large pile of splintered wood after Tuesday's, May 6, 2003, tornado.

Tornados ignored the 30 mile per hour speed limit along Shawnee Road in Jackson at around 9:30pm. The city of Jackson had lost power due to the storm and there was uncountable damage throughout the area.

The storm damaged the roof of Jackson's police and fire station.

An American flag was thrown high above the police and fire stations, and got caught in the large antenna.

Patrolman James Barker, left, and officer Chisum, right, surveyed the damage done by flying concrete chunks through the windows of the Jackson police and fire station.

The tornado ripped up the roof and scattered debris over the basketball floor of the gymnasium at Immaculate Conception Catholic School, 308 S. Hope St. in Jackson.

This is what is left of Meyer's Bakery, 404 S. Hope St. in Jackson.

The contents of a storage facility remained at South Georgia and East Adams streets in Jackson after the tornado lifted the building.

$The Sonic drive-thru in Jackson, directly across the street from the police and fire station, saw a lot of damage, including downed wires and fractured structure.$

The Sonic drive-thru in Jackson, directly across the street from the police and fire station, saw a lot of damage, including downed wires and fractured structure.

Chris Webb, left, helped his friend Randy Norris sort through his rain soaked belongings after Tuesday's tornado destroyed the storage facility located along East Adams Street in Jackson.

Seabaugh's Woodworking was heavily damaged in Tuesday night's tornado which touched down in Jackson.

Larry Stone, owner of what was the K-9 Training Center used his cellular telephone to discuss the destruction of his business after Tuesday night's tornado which ripped through Jackson.

Much of the area between East Adams and Main Streets in Jackson was heavily destroyed by Tuesday night's tornado.

Floyd Masters, a volunteer from Perryville, helped cut away fallen trees along Woodland Drive in Jackson after Tuesday's tornado.

The tornado caused broken windows in this vehicle parked at 308 S. Ohio St. in Jackson.

Mary Puls (right) and Bobby Mize (background) assisted in searching through what remained of the K-9 Training Center looking for property that was not damaged in Tuesday night's tornado in Jackson.

Even though much of Tuesday night's tornado damage was caused by high winds, smaller items became dangerous missiles breaking glass and penetrating steel car doors.

The tornado toppled trees onto the Scott and Kathy Raines house at 1314 North St. in Jackson.

Businesses in the East Adams and Main Streets area of Jackson were hard hit by Tuesday's tornado.

Assistant Manager Dawn King surveyed the damage done to Sonic in Jackson. King lives just blocks away, and rushed to work after the tornado to make sure everyone was safe.

Members of the Mike Turberville family survey tornado damage from their East Adams street porch early Wednesday morning.

The tornado ripped up trees at Morton and Howard Streets in Jackson.

A garage roof was blown off by the tornado on Howard Street in Jackson.

Framed by broken and splintered tree limbs after Tuesday night's tornado, the Cape Girardeau County Court House can be seen from the area near Woodland Drive and Howard Street in Jackson.

A semi tractor-trailer rests on its side after being blown over during Tuesday's tornado in Jackson.

Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Jackson suffered major damage from the tornado.

Friends and neighbors with pickup trucks and trailers helped residents salvage what they could from their homes Wednesday afternoon.

The tornado destroyed this foot bridge over Goose Creek, just east of the Co-Op Service Center in Jackson. The tornado also took out three Co-Op grain bins nearby.

409 North Shawnee Blvd was hit hard by the storm on Tuesday night. Although the house was already for sale by owner, Kathy Fausett and family put out the "cheap" sign as a way of laughing their way through the disaster.

Friends and family members of residents along Lakewoods Drive in Jackson packed the streets and offered a hand in helping with the disaster.

Sonic experienced severe tornado troubles, with broken glass scattered throughout the parking lot and wires dangling from the roof.

Mike and Judy Harrison's house at 2371 St. Andrews Drive in Jackson was distroyed by a tornado that swept the area. Their 20 year old neice was staying in the spare bedroom, facing front, and they escaped the ominous weather by seeking shelter in the concrete basement.

Ted Haertling and Cindy Kertz, right of Perryville, arrived at their Calie Wilson's house at 1217 Lakewoods Drive around 10 a.m. to help with clearing the debris. A black car was tossed into the brick house. Wilson, with husband Paul and 11 year old son Chaz, had just moved to this location last week and was able to escape unharmed to the basement with around 15 seconds to spare.

Diana Fox of St Louis came down to Jackson, Mo., to help sister Judy Harrison clear debris from her house on St Andrews Drive. Fox stood in the spare bedroom where daughter Courtney would have slept the night of the tornado.

Darlene Bullinger hugged Janell Hinkebein in the flooded hallway of Immaculate Conception School in Jackson. The school suffered severe damages during Tuesday's storm and will be closed until further notice.

Sarah Wibber, right, helped Third Grade teacher Nan Beussink salvage anything they could in this Immaculate Conception School room. The majority of the school was flooded from Tuesday's storm and teachers, students, and neighbors volunteered to help as much as possible.

The Sonic rock garden became a barely-legible pile of debris after the storm.

Downed signs in front of the Jackson Police and Fire stations were a minor indication of the massive damage they received throughout the storm.

This live tree fell on the Jackson police station.

Large chunks of concrete flew through the enterance of the Jackson Police Station late last night. Most of the windows of the building have been shattered and aluminum shingling from the roof was littered throughout the lawn.

Winds pummeled Jackson last night, shoving the fire chief's car in to a flipped Hazardous Materials trailer.

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