Area residents assess damage, clean up after Friday storm

The Chester, Illinois, bridge across the Mississippi River has reopened, but area residents are still dealing with the fallout from Friday afternoon’s storm and area flooding.

The Highway 51 Chester Bridge, which connects Perry County, Missouri, to Randolph County, Illinois, was reopened at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

But while flooding has been a relatively constant headache for many area residents over the past few weeks, a bout of severe weather brought winds clocking in at more than 60 mph, causing damage to trees and buildings and leaving an additional mess to clean up.

Widespread power outages began in the wake of the storm as power lines were damaged by falling branches, or in some cases, broken utility poles.

After the storm, more than 5,500 customers were without power in Cape Girardeau County and northern Scott County, according to Ameren Missouri’s website. By Sunday night, fewer than 15 customers had power outages.

Danny Randol, center, holds down a tarp while Bobby Parr works to secure it on the roof of Jackson homeowner Steve Parker (not pictured) Saturday in Jackson.TYLER GRAEF

Don Schuette, Jackson’s director of electric utilities, said Saturday that seven crews, including some from Poplar Bluff and Rolla, Missouri, had been out working to help repair damaged infrastructure.

“There are some small distribution spurs and sporadic stuff that still need attention,” he said. “But it’s good to have our sister cities helping out out here,” he said.

Journeyman lineman Rob Schwartz of Poplar Bluff said he and his colleagues arrived in Jackson around 9 p.m. Friday to find several poles simply broken in half. After working until about 3 a.m., Schwartz said they were back to work Saturday morning and were making good progress.

Meanwhile, residents all over town were working to clear debris and assess damage. Jackson homeowner Steve Parker came home from a camping trip to find a tree had blown over in his backyard, caving in a portion of his home’s roof.

“There’s water running down the walls now,” he said. “It’s coming out of light sockets. We’ll probably have to replace the sheetrock in the walls and ceiling. But we’re still here and nobody got hurt, so we’re thankful for that.”

Journeyman linemen Ronny Barker, left, and Rocky Hampton work to install lines on a new utility pole Saturday after a storm snapped the existing pole Friday in Jackson. Severe weather caused widespread damage to trees, buildings and infrastructure the day before and crews from Poplar Bluff and Rolla, Missouri, were called in to help restore power.TYLER GRAEF

He was also thankful for the friends and family who helped him tarp over the hole in his roof Saturday afternoon just in time for another rainstorm to roll through.

A few miles away at American Legion Post 158, the main hall is filled with buckets and trash cans to try to catch rainwater leaking through the ceiling after high winds tore a portion of the roof off during Friday’s storm.

Milford Seabaugh, a post member for more than 40 years, called the damage “a disastrous sight,” while looking out at pieces of roof scattered clear across the road into a parking lot on the other side. Fellow post member Richard Welker said while the building may have been in need of sprucing up before the storm, the new damage may set the post back for a while.

“We needed some new stuff,” he said. “But we didn’t want to see it come this way.”

The City of Cape Girardeau announced fallen limb and tree debris disposal and curbside pickup is available. Residents must call the Public Works Department at (573) 339-6351 to be added to the pickup list. Limbs and branches must be cut to a maximum length of 4 feet; stacked in an orderly fashion at the curb, but not in the road; no bulky or bushy pieces, as they will not fit in trucks; and no limbs stacked near hydrants or signs. More yard waste options may be found online at cityofcape.org/solidwaste.

The City of Jackson announced Saturday it will aid residents in clearing storm debris starting immediately. Residents may place debris curbside for collection, including tree limbs, brush and yard waste downed by the storm. The city will not collect building materials dislodged by the storm. Residents may also dispose of storm debris at the yard waste pits at the recycling center at 508 Eastview Court from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a driver’s license or Jackson utility bill.

Photographer Jacob Wiegand contributed to this reporting.